Persistent N2 disease after induction therapy does not jeopardize early and medium term outcomes of pneumonectomy.
BACKGROUND
Operative management of patients with persistent N2 disease after induction therapy is still debated.


METHODS
One hundred fifty-three consecutive patients underwent pneumonectomy from January 1999 until July 2005; 28 patients (18.3%) had persistent N2 disease after induction therapy (group 1), 32 patients (20.9%) had pathologic stage N0 or N1 after induction therapy (group 2), and 93 patients (60.8%) with pathologic N2 disease underwent immediate surgery (group 3). Short-term end points were operative mortality at 30 and 90 days and major complications. Long-term end points were 5-year survival and disease-free survival rates.


RESULTS
Demographics of the three groups were similar (age, sex, side of operation, type of chemotherapy, smoking status, and comorbidity such as coronary artery disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Thirty-day postoperative mortality was 10.7% in group 1, 3.1% in group 2 (p = 0.257), and 4.3% in group 3 (p = 0.201); 90-day postoperative mortality was 10.7% in group 1, 12.5% in group 2 (p = 0.577), and 9.7% in group 3 (p = 0.558). Incidence of major postoperative complications was similar. Five-year survival rate was 32.2% (median, 28 months; 95% confidence interval, 7 to 43) in group 1, 34.8% (median, 27 months; 95% confidence interval, 7 to 47) in group 2 (p = 0.685), and 12.4% (median, 15 months; 95% confidence interval, 11 to 19) in group 3 (p = 0.127). No statistical difference was found in terms of 5-year event-free survival, or regarding the side of pneumonectomy.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that pneumonectomy is justified in patients with persistent N2 disease after induction chemotherapy.
Mansour
Ziad
Z
Thoracic Surgery Service, Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France.
Kochetkova
Evgenia A
EA
Santelmo
Nicola
N
Ducrocq
Xavier
X
Quoix
Elisabeth
E
Wihlm
Jean-Marie
JM
Massard
Gilbert
G
D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods; D011336:Probability; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome