[The effect of peroperative transfusion on survival in resected lung carcinomas]

This paper analyzes the influence of perioperative transfusion on survival after lung cancer surgery. Between January 1991 and December 1995, we enrolled 405 patients, 196 of whom received transfusions and 209 of whom did not. Follow-up extended to December 1997. Excluded were patients undergoing exploratory thoracotomy (n = 92), those who died during the postoperative period (n = 19) and those lost to follow-up (n = 13). The final number of patients in the study was 281 (136 who received transfusions and 145 who did not). We analyzed age, sex, general clinical status measured on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale, histological type and TNM staging. Single and multiple variable analyses were performed. At the end of the study 158 patients were alive and 123 had died. Transfusions were used more often in pneumonectomies (p < 0.001) and in patients with an ECOG score of 2 (p < 0.01). Survival at 36 and 60 months, calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method was 52% and 30%, respectively, for those who had received transfusions, and 53% and 49%, respectively, for those who had not. The differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.1). Multivariant analysis failed to demonstrate an influence of transfusion on survival (relative risk of 1.08; 95% confidence interval 0.72-1.61; p > 0.1). We conclude that there is no negative prognostic effect of perioperative transfusion.