[Evaluation of neck lymph node dissection and extended lymphadenectomy through a collar incision and median...

Since 1983, 421 patients have been treated for lung cancer at this institute. Since 1988, neck lymph node dissection (11 cases) and new extended lymphadenectomy through a collar incision and median sternotomy (22 cases) have been conducted. Indications for this new radical operation are scalene, supraclavicular or highest mediastinal node involvement, or superior pulmonary sulcus carcinoma, in patients aged 70 or less without distant metastasis and NSCLC. No major complications and operative mortality were encountered in this study. Patients with scalene or supraclavicular node involvement showed poor prognosis. Postsurgical local recurrence was frequent. Whether resection in N3 disease should be conducted or not, remains a point of controversy. The authors consider that lymphadenectomy should be conducted more extensively. A significant better survival of N2 disease and satisfactory prognosis of patients without metastasis of cervical lymph nodes demonstrates the effectiveness of neck lymph node dissection in the present superradical operation for lung cancer.