[Postoperative prophylactic irradiation of lung cancer]

Eighty-three patients with resected lung cancer were studied to determine whether postoperative prophylactic irradiation improves survival. All patients had mediastinal lymph node metastases and underwent relative curative surgery. Thirty patients received postoperative irradiation, and another 52 were followed without further treatment. The 5-year survival rate was 19.2% in the surgery alone group and 20% in the postoperative irradiation group. No increase in survival time was noticed in the postoperative irradiation group. The 5-year survival rate was not influenced by histologic types, presence or absence of subcarinal lymph node metastases and right or left thoracotomy in either group.