[Long-term results of surgical treatment in lung cancer]

The surgical treatment of lung cancer has got a long tradition at our department. The aim of this work is to evaluate the group of 3,857 patients from the years 1948-1997. The special analysis has been performed of the group of 1572 patients from the years 1974-1997 undergoing lung resection. Evaluating our operation policy a strong trend from pneumonectomy to less extensive operations can be found. The introduction of bronchoplastic operations and modern diagnostic methods has substantially improved the possibility of surgical treatment. The utilization of TNM system enabled to compare the different groups of patients according to the unified classification. The long term survival was directly related to the stage and histological type of disease. The five years period survived 33% of patients in whom the lung resection was performed during the period 1974-1997. The operative hospital mortality has been substantially reduced to 1.7%. Even though it is our duty to provided the surgical treatment to all the patients if the resection is still possible the best results are to be expected in patients in the first stage of disease. Therefore the early diagnosis followed by adequately sized resection without delay offers the best chance for the patients long term survival.