[Analysis of the long-term survived patients with P-N2 non-small cell lung cancer]

We had 308 patients with P-N2 non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with pulmonary resection therapy from June 1975 to March 1994. We analysed 9 patients who could survive for 5 years and more after the operation. All of them were male and the mean age was 61.1 years. Histologically, 2 patients had adenocarcinoma and 7 patients had squamous cell carcinoma. The clinical staging was T2N1M0 in 2 patients, T1N2M0 in one, T2N2M0 in 2, T3N2M0 in 2, and T4N2M0 in 2 patients. The histopathological staging was T1 in one patient, T2 in 4, T3 in 3, and T4 in one patient. Three patients who had absolute non-curative operation (residual carcinoma on bronchial stump in 2 patients and residual mediastinal lymph nodes in one patient) were treated with radiation therapy after having operation. The one level mediastinal lymph node metastasis was found in 7 patients and multi-level one in 2 patients. Four patients out of nine are still alive and free from the cancer and 2 patients died of other unrelated disease. The patient who even have P-N2 non-small cell lung cancer with mediastinal lymph node involvement will live long after curative operation.