title: Surgical treatment for pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma: A retrospective study of 60 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pleomorphic carcinoma is a rare epithelial malignant tumor. Because the clinical characteristics and behavior of the disease remain unclear, we investigated the clinicopathological findings and prognosis of 60 patients with pleomorphic carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinicopathological characteristics of 60 cases of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma identified between 1999 and 2011 were studied. Of these, 55 patients had peripheral disease and five had central disease. The tumor size in all patients was 1-9.5 cm (mean, 5.8 ± 4.5 cm), while 30 had lesions with a diameter larger than 5 cm. All patients underwent pulmonary resection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no in-hospital deaths. The three and five year survival rates of all patients were 47.2% and 25.6%, respectively. The three and five year survival rates were 57.3% and 32.5% for N0 patients, and 25.4% and 17.1% for N1-2 patients, respectively. Overall survival was significantly different between the radical resection and incomplete resection groups. Multivariate Cox regression analyses of overall survival for all 60 patients indicated that radical resection (P= 0.041), tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P= 0.044), and nodal status (P= 0.029) were significant independent prognostic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pleomorphic carcinoma is a rare type of lung cancer. In our study, pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung was often found as a peripherally located large mass and was associated with a poor prognosis. Radical resection, TNM stage and nodal status were significant independent prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chunyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chenxi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: Lung cancer surgery; pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma; retrospective study; surgical treatment; thoracotomy