title: Surgical resection for non-small cell lung cancer: clinical features and outcomes for a consecutive series at an Irish tertiary referral centre.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few patients diagnosed with lung cancer are still alive 5 years after diagnosis. The aim of the current study was to conduct a 10-year review of a consecutive series of patients undergoing curative-intent surgical resection at the largest tertiary referral centre to identify prognostic factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case records of all patients operated on for lung cancer between 1998 and 2008 were reviewed. The clinical features and outcomes of all patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stage I-IV were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 654 patients underwent surgical resection with curative intent during the study period. Median overall survival for the entire cohort was 37 months. The median age at operation was 66 years, with males accounting for 62.7 %. Squamous cell type was the most common histological subtype, and lobectomies were performed in 76.5 % of surgical resections. Pneumonectomy rates decreased significantly in the latter half of the study (25 vs. 16.3 %), while sub-anatomical resection more than doubled (2 vs. 5 %) (p < 0.005). Clinico-pathological characteristics associated with improved survival by univariate analysis include younger age, female sex, smaller tumour size, smoking status, lobectomy, lower T and N status and less advanced pathological stage. Age, gender, smoking status and tumour size, as well as T and N descriptors have emerged as independent prognostic factors by multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified several factors that predicted outcome for NSCLC patients undergoing curative-intent surgical resection. Survival rates in our series are comparable to those reported from other thoracic surgery centres.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Oncology Research Group, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland. bassel@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Al-Alao
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gately
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Coate
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McGovern
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: O'Byrne
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011379:Prognosis; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D015996:Survival Rate; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures