Laser in treatment of lung cancer.

We performed treatments with a Nd-YAG laser in 27 patients (19 men) with a mean age (+/- 1 SD) of 63 +/- 15 years for incomplete obstruction of the tracheobronchial tree due to non-oat cell malignant neoplasm associated with cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis, or unresolved atelectasis or pneumonia. Sixteen patients had been previously treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or irradiation. Before surgery,, their mean values were as follows: Karnofsky score, 41 +/- 15 percent; British Medical Research Council dyspnea index, 3.7 +/- 0.6; forced vital capacity (FVC), 64 +/- 23 percent of predicted; and mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), 52 +/- 19 percent of predicted. Immediate palliative relief was achieved in 23 patients and lasted one-half to six months after a single treatment. After surgery, the mean values were as follows: FVC, 77 +/- 26 percent of predicted; FEV1, 74 +/- 27 percent of predicted; Karnofsky score, 57 +/- 18 percent (p less than 0.05); and dyspnea index, 2.8 +/- 0.7 (p less than 0.05). Complications included one death, and two patients subsequently died of massive pulmonary hemorrhage within seven days of treatment. Rigid bronchoscopy was required in seven patients. We also performed laser treatments in 19 patients (eight men) with a mean age of 64 +/- 10 years who had complete bronchial obstruction due to non-oat cell malignant neoplasm; all but one had received previous non-laser treatment. Before surgery the mean values were as follows: Karnofsky score, 30 +/- 10 percent; dyspnea index, 3.7 +/- 0.5; FVC, 46 +/- 14 percent of predicted; and FEV1, 44 +/- 13 percent of predicted. Immediate relief was achieved in six cases and lasted 0.25 to 1.5 months after a single treatment. After surgery the mean values were as follows: FVC, 59 +/- 8 percent of predicted (p less than 0.05); FEV1, 48 +/- 13 percent of predicted; Karnofsky score, 34 +/- 16 percent; and dyspnea index, 3.4 +/- 0.5. Complications included two deaths, one associated with combustion of the outer sheath of the fiberoptic bronchoscope. Rigid bronchoscopy was required in five patients. Results suggest that laser therapy is most beneficial in patients with partial and not totally occluded airways (X2, p less than 0.05).