[Bronchial carcinoma from the surgical viewpoint]

The paper presents the problems of bronchogenic carcinoma and the results of surgical treatment on the basis of 10 000 patients suffering from lung cancer. 20% of all resected cases and 40% of all cases resected during the early stage lived beyond the 5-year survival limit, and during the earliest stage surgical cure can be achieved in 60% to 80% of the patients. Small cell carcinoma is just as operable as all other forms of bronchogenic carcinoma, if in addition chemotherapy and radiotherapy are administered. From the oncological point of view clip or segmental resection are not equivalent to standard lobectomy and must, therefore, remain reserved for functional risk cases. On the basis of cancer biology and in view of the frequently occurring concealed (micro)-metastases we demand adjuvant therapy after every tumor resection; this treatment will consist in immunotherapy during the early stages and in chemo- and radiotherapy during late stages.