2ND PRIMARY LUNG-CANCER IN FLANDERS - FREQUENCY, CLINICAL PRESENTATION, TREATMENT AND PROGNOSIS

Patient and tumour characteristics of 23 patients presenting with a se cond primary lung cancer were analysed and compared with 534 patients with radically resected stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). No ne of these characteristics is associated with a higher occurrence rat e for second primary lung cancer. Prognosis in the latter patients is significantly worse than after resection of a 'solitary' NSCLC: the me dian survival time (MST) after resection of the first tumour is 50 mon ths; after diagnosis of the second tumour only 14 months. Surgically r etreated patients have a prognosis that is similar to that after resec tion of a 'solitary' NSCLC. No separate independent prognostic factors responsible for this surivival difference could be isolated. Squamous histology and central location are associated with a longer recurrenc e free survival time. We conclude that the occurrence of a second prim ary lung cancer can not be predicted based on patient or tumour charac teristics and that only surgical retreatment offers a chance of long s urvival in these patients.