Pneumonectomy is safe and effective for non-small cell lung cancer following induction therapy

Uncertainty surrounds the safety and efficacy of pneumonectomy in the setting of induction chemoradiation for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We sought to evaluate fifteen years of experience with pneumonectomy with and without induction therapy.

Over a 15-year period [1999-2014], data were extracted from medical records of patients undergoing pneumonectomy for NSCLC. Primary outcomes were 5-year overall survival and mortality at 30, 60 and 90 days following operation. Morbidity data was also reviewed. Statistical comparisons were performed using the Chi-Square test. Kaplan-Meier curves were compared using the log rank test. Significance was defined as a P value less than 0.05. Patients with a prior cancer history, bilateral lung nodules and oligometastatic disease at presentation were excluded.

After exclusion criteria were applied, 240 patients were analyzed and 137 (57%) underwent induction therapy prior to pneumonectomy. Five-year overall survival was 38.5%. Mortality at 90 days was 7.94%. There was no statistically significant difference in perioperative mortality with the addition of induction therapy. In fact, in the subset of patients with N2 disease (n=65), induction therapy was associated with improved 5-year overall survival (10.7% vs. 32.7%, P=0.014). Thirty-five percent of patients with N2 disease exhibited a complete response in the nodal basin following induction therapy; however, this did not confer a statistically significant overall or disease-free survival benefit.

Pneumonectomy can safely be performed in the setting of induction chemoradiation. In patients with N2 disease, induction therapy may confer a survival benefit when the surgery can be done with limited morbidity and mortality.