[The probability of survival of patients with bronchial carcinoma]

A study was made of the effect of the discontinuation of population screening for tuberculosis, on January 1, 1982, on the referral pattern and therapeutic results in patients with bronchial carcinoma. In 1981 only a few patients were referred because of lesions detected at the screening. Accordingly, discontinuing the screening had no demonstrable effect. Also, there was no difference between patients referred because of a fortuitous finding and those who consulted because of symptoms. Nevertheless the results, especially the 5-year survival rates, were far better for those whose tumours had favourable TNM classifications. This applied in particular if resection of parts of the lung was feasible and operation revealed no metastases in mediastinal lymph nodes and no infiltrating growth. For this group of patients the 5-year survival rate amounted to 59.4%. With only symptomatic treatment the rate was 16.7% and for patients with small-cell anaplastic carcinomas given chemotherapy, it was 5.6%.