Early hilar lung cancer - risk for multiple lung cancers and clinical outcome

In early hilar lung cancer patients, multiple lung cancers frequently devel op. The clinical outcome of such patients were studied. A total of 91 patie nts, 88 men and three women, who were endoscopically diagnosed with early h ilar lung cancer were studied retrospectively. Surgery was performed in 46 patients. while organ-sparing treatment: including photodynamic therapy (PD T), Nd-YAG (neodymium-yttrium, argon, garnet) laser vaporization, and radio therapy, were done for 45 patients. During follow-up, newly developed lung cancers and/or malignancies in other organs were recorded. The average smok ing index (cigarettes per day x years) was 1040. Synchronous and/or metachr onous multiple lung cancers developed in 26/91 patients (28.6%). Malignanci es in other organs were found in 12/91 (13.2%). The smoking index of patien ts with multiple lung cancers was significantly higher than for other patie nts. The overall 5 year survival rate was 70.7% in all patients, 76.0% in t he surgery group, and 64.4% in the nonsurgery group. The lung cancer-specif ic 5 year survival rate was 89.8% in all patients, 89.3% in the surgery gro up, and 90.5% in the nonsurgery group. Early hilar lung cancer frequently a ccompanies other lung cancers or malignancies in other organs. A favorable prognosis can be obtained with organ-sparing treatment. (C) 2001 Elsevier S cience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.