Mediastinoscopy: the predictive survival value in staging carcinoma of the lung

One hundred and thirty-seven cases of Stage III lung cancer established by mediastinoscopy have been followed to determine their survival. The tissue was classified according to World Health Organization schema and the degree of dedifferentiation graded from well to poorly differentiated. Two percent of the presented cases are well-differentiated tumors; the remaining 98% are moderately well-differentiated (11%), or poorly differentiated or small cell tumors (87%). The degree of anaplasia suggests an increasingly aggressive metastatic behavior pattern. The average life span is approximately 5 1/2 months in all groups and subgroups which were studied. Recommendations are presented for the utilization of mediastinoscopy in Stage I and II cases. Further considerations are suggested for priority of diagnostic procedures in establishing the diagnosis of lung cancer.