Improved survival in left non-small-cell N2 lung cancer after more extensive operative procedure

The five-year survival rate of lung-cancer patients with left-sided N2 non-small-cell disease is worse than that for those with right-sided lesions and this is partly caused by inadequate nodal dissection due to anatomical limitations. To overcome the problem of performing nodal dissection in the left mediastinum, several modifications of the operative technique have been tried in the past 18 years. The survival rates of the patients treated by each procedure were retrospectively compared in this study. The dissection method for mediastinal nodes was modified at three periods (1973-1980, 1981-1985, and 1986-1990). The first period involved less extensive node dissection, in the second period more extensive dissection was enabled by mobilization of the aortic arch, and in the most recent systematic and extensive dissection was made possible by the use of a median sternotomy. The five-year survival rates of the left-sided N2 patients undergoing complete resection in the first and second period were 8.3%, and 15.4%, respectively. The three-year survival rate in the most recent period has risen to 30.8%. Complete and extensive dissection of the mediastinal nodes after performing a median sternotomy is the procedure of choice for lung-cancer patients with left-sided N2 disease.