[Surgery of lung cancer and the clinical application of basic studies]

We performed several basic studies concerning lung cancer and their results were applied clinically. One was the establishment of cultured lung cancer cell strains and they were employed for sensitivity tests of anticancer agents and to study histogenesis of oat cell carcinoma and monoclonal antibody. Another study was the experimental induction of lung cancer in dogs. We succeeded in inducing canine central type lung cancer. Using epithelial cells from the various stages recognized in the carcinogenetic process. We measured DNA distribution and nuclear protein amounts, and we indicated the relationship between the carcinogenetic process and DNA pattern. Among 2,633 lung cancer cases 1,072 were resected. The 5-year survival of the latest 384 resected cases was 80.3% in stage I. The reasons for this relatively high survival rate is probably because of increased numbers of early stage central type lung cancer due to increasing sputum cytology surveys. Adjuvant therapy was performed using nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton and/or chemotherapy with CDDP. However, significantly better results were not obtained. The surgical results were discussed in 425 cases aged 70 years and over. The therapeutic results and indications of photodynamic therapy in early stage central type lung cancer were presented.