Retrospective and prospective tumor staging evaluating prognostic factors in operated bronchus carcinoma patients.

Survival, pTN stages, and cell type of patients operated on for bronchus carcinoma were evaluated in a retrospective study and compared with data obtained in a prospective study. One thousand three hundred thirty-two patients with potential curative resected lung carcinoma were included in the retrospective study. Two hundred eighty-two patients with potential curative resected lung carcinoma were analyzed in the prospective study. Data showed similarities in distribution of cell type and relative frequency of pT1 stage in both collectives. Major differences between both studies were obtained in relative frequencies of pT3, and pN0, pN1, and pN2 stages. Survival of patients grouped according to cell type revealed differences between patients suffering from epidermoid-adeno carcinoma and patients suffering from small anaplastic carcinoma--large cell anaplastic carcinoma in both studies. Patients stated as pN0 stages showed more favourable prognosis in the prospective study compared with patients of the retrospective study. Two-year survival rates of patients grouped into a pT1pN0 stage and into a pT2pN0 stage had similar survival rates in both studies. Survival of these cohorts compared with patients staged as pT1pN1 and pT2pN1 was statistically significantly better. The data indicate that patients suffering from pT1pN1 or pT2pN1 tumors should be classified as Stage II tumors.