[Surgical treatment for stage III N2 non-small cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE

To study the survival and prognostic factors of stage III N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgical treatment.

METHODS

266 patients with stage III N2 NSCLC underwent operation from 1982 to 1996, with the 5-year survival rate compared with those of stage N0 and N1 patients who received operation in the same period. Histological classification, number of positive nodes, location and extent of mediastinal lymph node involvement, T primary tumor status, complete or incomplete operation, the procedure of operation were univariately and multivariately analyzed to determine their impact on the 5-year survival.

RESULTS

The 5-year survival rate of patients with stage III N2 non-small lung cancer after surgical treatment was 17.3%, which was significant lower than those with N0 (51.4%) and N1 (30.4%). Four prognostic factors significantly influenced the outcome: number of positive nodes, location and extent of mediastinal lymph node involvement, T primary tumor status and complete resection of the tumor.

CONCLUSION

Patients with stage III N2 NSCLC are candidates for surgical treatment if they have evidence of limited mediastinal lymph node metastasis and prospects of complete resection.