The influence of cell type and lymph node metastases on survival of patients with carcinoma of the lung undergoing thoracotomy.

We studied 202 cases of bronchogenic carcinoma treated surgically between January 1, 1966 and December 31, 1970. Over all, adenocarcinoma was the most common cell type (36.1 per cent). Of 151 patients whose carcinomas were successfully resected, and who lived for at least 30 days postoperatively, 88 had lymph nodes free of cancer. Not surprisingly, 5-year survival was related to lymph node metatases and cell type. The best over-all 5-year survival rate was for large cell carcinoma; it was 52.0 per cent without nodal involvement. Similar figures for epidermoid carcinoma were 29.0 per cent over all, and 26.3 per cent without lymph node involvement; for adenocarcinoma, 19.3 per cent over all, and 32.0 per cent without nodal involvement. For the entire group of 151 patients, the 5-year survival rate was 27.8 per cent over all, and 36.4 per cent without nodal metastases. Among resected patients with mediastinal lymph nodes positive for cancer, the 5-year survival rates were 1 of 10 patients with large cell carcinoma, 1 of 19 patients with adenocarcinoma, and 3 of 12 patients with epidermoid carcinoma. This suggests that in patients with epidermoid carcinoma, the presence of mediastinal lymph node metastases is not, in itself, an absolute contraindication to resectional therapy.