Experience with mass screening for lung carcinoma

The 5-year-survival of 128 primary lung cancer patients was studied between 1970 and 1976. In all patients mediastinoscopy was carried out without any mortality or morbidity. Asymptomatic stage I (TNM classification) patients having a squamous cell carcinoma had the best 5 year survival: 46.3% as against 9.5% and 0% of the stage II and III patients. The resectability rate was 58.6% with a perioperative mortality of 7.5%. This suggests the importance of further evaluation of mass screening for lung carcinoma despite the statistical shortcomings of a retrospective study.