Outcome of patients with lung cancer detected via mass screening as compared to those presenting with symptoms.

We performed lung cancer resection in 721 patients between 1980 and 1989. Cancers were detected via mass screening programs by annual chest X-ray examination in the majority of cases. We evaluated the surgical results in patients with tumors detected by mass screening and compared them to those in whom the malignancy was detected by symptoms. Lesions in the mass screened group were T1 to T2 tumors in 90% of the cases, and NO in 73%. Stage I disease accounted for 65.3% in the mass screened group. The overall 5-year survival rate was 56.2% in the mass screened group, which was significantly better than the 25.3% for the symptom group (P less than 0.001). The surgical results in the lung cancer cases detected by the mass screening program had better results than the cases who presented with symptoms.