Prognostic factors after surgical treatment of lung cancer invading the diaphragm

Background. Diaphragmatic invasion from lung cancer (T3-diaphragm) is a rar e occurrence reported to portend a poor prognosis. Methods. Fifteen patients with T3-diaphragm (14 males, 1 female; median age , 64 years) were surgically treated over a twenty-year period by en bloc re section (14 patients). One patient was only explored. Pathologic stage IIB (T3N0) was found in 11 patients. A partial infiltration of the diaphragm wa s observed in 3 patients, whereas full-depth invasion was found in 12. Diap hragmatic reconstruction was done primarily in 9 patients, and, by prosthet ic material in 5. Results. Two patients are still alive without evidence of disease at 88, an d, 114 months from surgery. Overall median survival was 23 months (range, 3 to 168). The actuarial 5-year survival was 20%, when all patients were con sidered, and, 27%, for T3N0 patients. Univariate analysis showed that prost hetic replacement of the muscle (p = 0.018) was significantly related to su rvival. Conclusions. T3-diaphragm is best treated with en bloc resections with wide tumor-free margins and prosthetic replacement of the diaphragm. (C) 1999 b y The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.