title: Prognostic factors in resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer with a diameter of 3 cm or less: visceral pleural invasion did not influence overall and disease-free survival.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Resection is the treatment of choice for patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer. Stage I non-small cell lung cancer has been further subdivided into IA (T1N0M0, tumor size < or = 3 cm without visceral pleural invasion) and IB (T2N0M0, tumor size > 3 cm or any size with visceral pleural invasion). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors in patients with resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer with a diameter of 3 cm or less.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathologic characteristics of 445 patients with resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer with a diameter of 3 cm or less who were treated at Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 1980 and 2000. Disease-free survival, overall survival, and their predictors were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 5- and 10-year overall survivals were 61.4% and 40.0%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year disease-free survivals were 74.5% and 73.4%, respectively. Tumor size, smoking index, and number of mediastinal lymph nodes dissected were significant predictors for both disease-free survival (P = .009, P = .002, and P = .006, respectively) and overall survival (P = .004, P < .001, and P = .001, respectively) in multivariate analyses. Visceral pleural invasion did not influence overall survival or disease-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tumor size, smoking index, and number of mediastinal lymph nodes dissected were prognostic factors for both overall survival and disease-free survival in resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer with a diameter of 3 cm or less. Small tumors (<3 cm) of stage IB (T2N0M0) non-small cell lung cancer with visceral pleural invasion should be treated as T1 disease and not T2 disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jung-Jyh
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Chien-Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Min-Hsiung
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Biing-Shiung
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wen-Hu
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Yu-Chung
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate