Primary lung sarcomas: long survivors obtained with iterative complete surgery.

Primary lung sarcomas are uncommon histologic types of primary lung cancer and presents a wide spectrum of clinical behaviour. Nine patients treated at Antoine Lacassagne Cancer Center between 1982 and 1995 were studied. The median age was 63 years (range, 35-73 years) and the most common histologic types were malignant fibrous histiocytoma (four) and leiomyosarcoma (three). All of them underwent surgery, six patients had a complete surgery and three patients incomplete resections. The median overall survival for all patients was 36 months. In the subgroup of patients with initial complete resection, the median survival was significantly longer (47 months) than in the subgroup of patients with incomplete resection (6 months) (P<0.05, log-rank test). Moreover, two patients had a second complete resection for ipsilateral lung relapse and were long survivors (overall survival of 58 and 83 months, respectively). The ability to achieve a complete second surgery stress the possible benefit of an early detection of local recurrence. Because no specific symptom was linked with the local relapse, a systematic CT scan every 2 or 3 months could be required.