Relationship of tumor size to survival in patients with pT2N0 lung cancer

Lung cancer extending beyond 3 cm in diameter without lymph node or distant metastasis is defined as T2. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prognosis based on tumor size for patients with resected T2N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer. The 268 patients who underwent complete resection of a lung tumor > 3 cm in diameter were reviewed retrospectively. They were divided into 3 groups based on tumor size: 3-5 cm, > 5-7 cm, and > 7 cm. There were significant differences in the 5-year survival rates of 61.4%, 47.9%, and 21.9% in each group, respectively. In the two subgroups with tumor sizes 3-4 cm and > 4 cm, the 5-year survival was 63.8% and 48.1%, respectively. Tumors > 4 cm in diameter indicate a poor long-term prognosis.