The results of therapy for bilateral multiple primary lung cancers: 30 years experience in a single centre.
OBJECTIVE
This study reviews our 30 years experience in the clinical assessment and surgical management of bilateral multiple primary lung cancer (BMPLC).


METHODS
Between January 1973 and December 2001, 1906 patients with primary lung cancer underwent surgical resection in Kanazawa University Hospital. Thirty-seven patients (1.9%) who had developed a BMPLC using the criteria of Martini and Antakli.


RESULTS
Eighteen patients had synchronous lesions, and 18 patients had metachronous lesions. One patient had synchronous and metachronous lesions. Overall 10-year survival was 56%. The actuarial 5-year survival for bilateral synchronous cancers was 69%, median survival (MST) 90 months (range 8-153 months), and 10-year survival was 47%. The actuarial 5-year survival for second metachronous cancers was 51%, with an MST of 114 months (range 6-192 months).


CONCLUSIONS
Aggressive surgical therapy is effective in patients with a bilateral MPLC if they satisfy the usual criteria of operability. The surgical methods that preserve healthy lung tissue such as sleeve resection and limited resection must be selected in compliance with cancer characters.
Tsunezuka
Y
Y
Department of General and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan. tsuney@nifty.com
Matsumoto
I
I
Tamura
M
M
Oda
M
M
Ohta
Y
Y
Shimizu
J
J
Kawakami
K
K
Watanabe
Y
Y
Tanaka
Y
Y
Watanabe
G
G
Minato
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome