Temporal trends in survival after surgical resection of localized non-small cell lung cancer.

To test whether modern preoperative staging modalities and perioperative care improve survival after resection of localized non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we retrospectively reviewed outcomes of 454 patients with NSCLC resected from 1947 through 1969 (designated pre-1970 cases), and 540 patients with cancers resected from 1981 through 1994 (designated post-1980 cases). Mean ages, histological subtypes, surgical stages, and types of surgical procedures differed significantly between the two groups. Compared with pre-1970 cases, post-1980 cases were older, had more adenocarcinoma and less squamous cell carcinoma, and had lesser proportions of advanced stage disease. Postoperative (day 30) mortality was significantly higher for resections of localized (stages 1 and 2) NSCLC prior to 1970. For patients surviving at least 30 days after surgery, subsequent survival after resection of localized NSCLC differed minimally between pre-1970 and post-1980 groups. We conclude that perioperative mortality after resection of localized NSCLC improved, but subsequent postoperative survival for these patients did not significantly improve over the 45-year period studied.