Postoperative survival in stage II non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma

Objective: This study aimed to validate in our population changes in the st age II criteria for non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed and followed the course o f disease in 336 patients who underwent complete resection in our hospital between January 1969 and December 1995 with stage II disease, classified as T1N1M0 (41), T2N1M0 (144) and T3N0M0 (151). Results: The expected five-year survival in our population was 43.19 +/-2.9 0%. Estimated mean survival was 3 +/-0.71 years (95% confidence interval: 1 .60-4.40). Mean survival was 8.82 +/-0.67 years (95% confidence interval 7. 51-10.13). Five-year survival was 53.32 +/-8.55% for tumors classified as T 1N1M0, 38.57 +/-4.40% for T2N1M0, and 44.46 +/-4.30% for T3N0M0. We observed significant differences in survival depending on histological t ype, tumor size, and IIA or IIB staging, degree of tumor invasion (T), numb er of nodes involved (N-1) and location. T3N0M0 tumors displayed great vari ation in expected survival rates in relation to structures involved (27.53% to 59.98%). Multivariate analysis confirmed degree of tumor invasion, size and histological type to be the main prognostic factors. Conclusions: We conclude that the new staging system gives a more realistic prognosis for patients in our practice. The stage HA and HB division is ap propriate and gives significantly different prognoses. However, the T3N0M0 category is heterogeneous and is not significantly different from T1-2N1M0, such that stage II overall continues to be an indivisible, homogeneous gro up of patients. Other prognostic variables, such as histological type, affe ct survival in our patients.