title: Postoperative follow-up for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is unclear whether postoperative follow-up by thoracic surgeons or chest physicians for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) alters survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  The charts of 1,398 NSCLC patients, diagnosed between 1980 and 2008, were reviewed. Prognostic factors contained therein were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the doctor in charge of their postoperative follow-up: the thoracic surgeon group and the chest physician group. The doctors in charge of following up the patients were also analyzed for prognostic significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the univariate and multivariate analyses, age 65 years or younger, female sex, early pathological stage, Charlson Index score of 0-1, absence of adjuvant therapy, and follow-up by a chest physician were significantly favorable prognostic factors. Examined overall, NSCLC patients in the chest physician group had longer survival than those in the thoracic surgeon group. The difference in survival of patients with advanced disease was also statistically significant between these 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that early detection of asymptomatic disease by regular follow-up including chest computed tomography scan may improve the chance of treatment with curative intent and thus may increase survival, irrespective of the doctor in charge of follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurishima
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Shigemi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Yukinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onizuka
authors.forename: Hiroichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hizawa
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011379:Prognosis; D015272:Pulmonary Medicine; D015996:Survival Rate; D013903:Thoracic Surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed