[Small sized non-small cell lung cancer in advanced stage]

Eighteen cases of non-small cell, small sized advanced lung cancer, out of 362 operated cases for 6 years excluding 7 cases of small cell lung cancer, 60 of preoperative treated and 27 of inoperable cases, were discussed. A small sized tumor was defined as a tumor within 8,000 mm3 in its volume, calculated by multipling three lengths measured on the resected specimens. There were fourteen cases with stage 3 and 4 (A), and four cases with N1 disease (B). In group A, three cases of twelve with N2 diseases showed the tiny skipping lesion in the mediastinum with negative regional nodes. Remaining two had a lesion of dissemination and pulmonary metastasis. In group B, they showed unusual way of N1 spread, in which two of them with left upper lobectomy had metastatic lymph nodes on the non-bearing lobe, the lower lobe, and other two cases took regional lymph nodes metastasis without invasive growth of the main tumor. Predominant histologic type was adenocarcinoma, but the subtype and the differentiation of it were not specific. The level of CEA was low below 5 ng/dl in most of them except three cases, in which it suggested massive positive nodes and pulmonary metastasis. Seven patients died of the disease in two years. Remainders are alive, 4 with and 7 free from the tumor with the longest period of 3 years and a half. N2 diseases of small sized tumor were found in the cases with the volume of 3 cm3 and more at almost same ratio.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)