title: Surgical results and survival of older patients with unsuspected N₂ (stage IIIA) non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The optimal treatment of N₂ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in older patients is still debate and represent an important treatment and ethical problem.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2000 to December 2010, 273 older patients underwent lung resection for (NSCLC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall-operative mortality was 9.5%. Risk factors for in-hospital mortality were pneumonectomy and poli-vasculopathy. One, 3 and 5-year survival were 73%, 23% and 16% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In potentially operable older patients with NSCLC we need to make every effort to exclude N₂ involvement because very poor long-term survival. Pneumonectomy in older patients gains prohibitive in-hospital mortality.
authors.affiliation: S. Orsola-Malpigh Hospital, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dell'amore
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monteverde
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caroli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sanna
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stella
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate