Bronchogenic carcinoma: a study of patients treated at Capital Hospital, Peking, China

From 1961 to 1972, 123 patients with lung cancer underwent operations at Capital Hospital, Peking, China. Ninety-six patients had resectable lesions and 27 did not, a resectability rate of 78%. Four patients (4.2%) died immediately postoperatively. Complications occurred in 8 (8.3%) patients. Five-year survival in this group of 92 survivors was 26 (28.3%). Ten-year survival among 49 patients was 10 (20.4%). Among the 92 five-year survivors, 41.2% had squamous cell carcinoma, 25% had adenocarcinoma, and 16% had undifferentiated carcinoma. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma had a much longer survival than the others. Six factors appear to influence survival after resection: cell type, presence of lymph node metastases, presence of tumor emboli in blood vessels, sex, age, and location. Men about 50 years of age, with a peripherally located squamous cell tumor and with no tumor emboli or lymph node metastases, have a good chance of surviving a pulmonary resection for ten years.