European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Vol 6, 498-502, Copyright © 1992 by European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: prognostic factors affecting the long-term outcome after surgical resection
H Huwer, I Volkmer, A Wiegand, G Kalweit and P Feindt
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Saarland University Medical School, Homburg, FRG.
From 1976 to 1989, 638 patients with squamous cell carcinoma were operated
on. Reliable information concerning survival could be obtained in 540 of
these cases via follow-up examinations. All tumors were retrospectively
classified according to the TNM system of the fourth edition of UICC
classification. The average survival time after potentially curative
operation was 7.32 years in patients with stage I tumors, the 5-year
survival rate was 55.3%. The corresponding values were 2.42 years and 29.1%
respectively in patients with stage II tumors, compared to 1.22 years and
12.0% respectively in those with stage III a tumors. The differences
between tumor stages are statistically significant. Analyzing the influence
of the T and N factors on the prognosis following potentially curative
surgery, the classification in the various tumor stages was largely
verified. Stage III a is inhomogeneous in terms of prognosis. T and N
factors showed prognostic value in this group. In the group with T3 tumors
there was a significant difference in the mean survival times,
independently of the lymph node status, when the patients were divided into
those with T3 tumors close to the main carina (16 months) and those who had
infiltrated adjacent structures (7.5 months). When differentiating the N1
location, a significant difference was found between the group of patients
with T2 tumors and true lymph node metastases and the group with T2 and
direct tumor infiltration of the lymph node (mean survival time 27.5 vs
42.3 months).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
