title: Role of surgical resection for patients with limited disease-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although chemotherapy and radiotherapy are recommended for patients with limited disease small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC), several series have reported favorable survival outcomes even in patients with stages II and III disease who underwent surgical resection. The purpose of this study is to compare the outcomes of the use of surgical resection to the other conventional non-surgical treatments in patients with LD-SCLC with respect to each clinical stage.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 277 patients who received treatment for LD-SCLC and compared the outcomes of the use of surgical resection to the other conventional non-surgical treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical stage was stage I in 50 cases (18%), stage II in 53 cases (19%) and stage III in 174 cases (63%). Eighty-eight patients received surgical resection and 189 patients were treated with non-surgical treatment. Surgery was performed in 44 patients (88%) with stage I, 27 patients (52%) with stage II and 17 patients (10%) with stage III disease. The five-year survival rates of the patients according to clinical stage were 58% in stage I, 29% in stage II and 18% in stage III. The five-year survival rates of the patients with and without surgical resection according to clinical stage were as follows: 62% and 25% in stage I (p<0.01), 33% and 24% in stage II (p=0.95), 18% and 18% in stage III (p=0.35), respectively. In 44 propensity score-matched pairs with stages II and III disease, including matching for variables such as age, gender and the PS, the five-year survival rates was better in patients with surgical resection than in those without surgery (p=0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical resection is effective for the patients with stage I LD-SCLC and some cases of stage II or III disease.
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: ttake@surg2.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
authors: Tomoyoshi
authors: T
authors: Takenaka
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Mitsuhiro
authors: M
authors: Takenoyama
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Eiko
authors: E
authors: Inamasu
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Tsukihisa
authors: T
authors: Yoshida
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Gouji
authors: G
authors: Toyokawa
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Kaname
authors: K
authors: Nosaki
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Fumihiko
authors: F
authors: Hirai
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Masafumi
authors: M
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Clinical Research Institute, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Mototsugu
authors: M
authors: Shimokawa
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Seto
authors: Clinical Research Institute, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Yukito
authors: Y
authors: Ichinose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Chemotherapy; Limited disease-small cell lung cancer; Lung cancer; Overall survival; Radiotherapy; Surgery