[Adjuvant therapy in resectable non-small cell lung cancer]

In order to improve the management of lung cancer at various stages, we analyzed results of treatment in 928 of 1024 patients who were registered at our Hospital Tumor Registry of 1952-1983 with a pathological diagnosis of TNM for carcinoma of the lung after pulmonary resection. The 5-year-survival rate was 43% in 928 patients excluded the cases who were lost follow-up or succumbed within post-operative 1 month. The 5-year-survival rate was 77% for the stage I, 54.7% for the stage II, 17% for the stage III and 4% for the stage IV. The 5-year-survival rate by therapeutic modality was as follows: 52% for the group with chemotherapy, 35% for the one without adjuvant therapies, 29% for the one with irradiation and 15% for the one with radiochemotherapy. Patients with adenocarcinoma who underwent curative surgery showed improvement of survival by postoperative chemotherapy. No increase in survival time was noticed in the irradiated group with N2.