Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2015 Aug;48(4):252-257. 10.5090/kjtcs.2015.48.4.252.

Pneumonectomy for Clinical Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Elderly Patients over 70 Years of Age

• Kim TH
• Park B
• Cho JH
• Kim HK
• Choi YS
• Kim KM
• Shim YM
• Zo J
• Kim J

• KMID: 2382268
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5090/kjtcs.2015.48.4.252

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Lobectomy is the generally accepted standard treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, especially in elderly patients, it is often necessary to perform pneumonectomy in order to maximize the likelihood of curative treatment, although pneumonectomy is a challenging procedure.
METHODS
We analysed patients who were clinically diagnosed with stage I NSCLC and underwent pneumonectomy with curative intent from 2004 to 2011. The patients were divided into an elderly group (> or =70 years) and a younger group (<70 years). We retrospectively analysed the outcomes of these groups of patients in order to characterize the role of pneumonectomy as a treatment for elderly patients with clinical stage I NSCLC.
RESULTS
Thirty patients younger than 70 years of age (younger group) and fourteen patients 70 years of age or older (elderly group) who underwent pneumonectomy were enrolled in the present study. The median follow-up period was 35 months (range, 0 to 125 months). The perioperative mortality rate (within 90 days after the operation) was 7.1% in the elderly group and 6.7% in the younger group (p=0.73). No significant differences between the two groups were observed regarding the occurrence of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiac arrhythmia, bronchopleural fistula, and vocal cord paralysis. The overall five-year survival rate was 79.4% in the younger group and 35.7% in the elderly group, which was a significant difference (p=0.018). The five-year disease-free survival rate was 66.7% in the younger group and 35.7% in the elderly group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.23).
CONCLUSION
Although elderly patients with early stage lung cancer showed a worse long-term survival rate after pneumonectomy than younger patients, the outcomes of elderly patients were similar to those of younger patients in terms of perioperative mortality and postoperative complications. Patients should not be denied pneumonectomy solely due to old age.

Keyword

Non-small-cell lung carcinoma; Geriatrics; Surgery; Aged

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Arrhythmias, Cardiac
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung*
Disease-Free Survival
Fistula
Follow-Up Studies
Geriatrics
Humans
Lung Neoplasms
Mortality
Pneumonectomy*
Pneumonia
Postoperative Complications
Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult
Retrospective Studies
Survival Rate
Vocal Cord Paralysis