title: Surgical outcomes in patients with small cell lung cancer: comparative analysis of computed tomograpy-detected patients with others.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is shown that low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening is useful for a reduction in lung-cancer-specific mortality in heavy smokers. However, the information about effectiveness according to the histological types of lung cancer has not been adequately investigated especially small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The present study was performed to see the clinical benefit of CT screening in patients with SCLC following thoracotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the outcome in patients with early stage SCLC who initially underwent thoracotomy. The clinical stages and actuarial survival were estimated according to the three means of detection of SCLC: chest CT, radiographic screen, and symptomatically prompted cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-nine patients (men/women, 63/6; mean age, 70 years) with SCLC underwent thoracotomy between 1991 and 2010 including chest CT (n = 13), radiographic screening (n = 39), and symptomatically prompted cases (n = 17). Pathological staging information included stage IA (n = 25), IB (n = 8), IIA (n = 13), IIB (n = 5), IIIA (n = 11), and IIIB (n = 7). Median survival time was 30.0 (95% confidence interval (CI): 22.0 to 57.0) months, with overall survival at 5 years of 34.3% (95% CI, 23.47 to 47.3). Nine patients (69%) with stage I were detected by CT which was significantly higher than those in other detection arms. However, there were no significant differences in the survival between CT and other detection arms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT examination may be useful for detection in early stage SCLC potentially suitable for surgery, but the contribution to better clinical outcome in patients with SCLC remains unclear.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Cancer Therapy, Division of Clinical Oncology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi Matsumoto Nagano, Matsumoto city 390-8621, Japan. tomonobu@shinshu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tomonobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Toshirou
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamanaka
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiina
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Ryoichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Ryouhei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000401:mortality*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*