THE LIMITS OF SURGICAL RESECTION ALONE FOR NONSMALL CELL LUNG-CANCER

Surgical resection remains the best treatment for Stages I and II non- small cell lung cancer. In Stage IIIA disease the use of induction the rapy has become widespread, although evidence supporting this approach is still preliminary. However, in subsets of patients with T3 tumours without mediastinal nodal involvement and those with certain single s tation, non-bulky N2 disease, surgery alone is still the preferred the rapy. Studies show survival rates with surgery alone the same or highe r than those achieved by most induction therapy regimens. (C) 1997 Els evier Science Ireland Ltd.