Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether lobectomy without radical systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy (LA) is a satisfactory alternative surgical treatment for octogenarians with clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: From April 1985 through December 2001, 49 patients aged 80 years and older who underwent surgical treatment for clinical stage I NSCLC were reviewed. Lobectomy without radical systematic mediastinal LA was performed for 27 patients (LA0 group) and lobectomy with radical systematic mediastinal LA was performed for 22 patients (LA group).
Results: The mortality rate was 0% in the LA0 group and 4.5% in the LA group. Five-year survival rate according to the type of surgery was 44.8% in the LA0 group and 55.5% in the LA group, a difference that was not significant (P=0.88). Although there was no significant statistical difference, postoperative pulmonary complication was more frequent in the LA group than in the LA0 group (32% in the LA group versus 11% in the LA0 group P=0.07). Five-year survival rates according to serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were 0% for patients with elevated CEA levels (n=9) and 56.5% for patients with normal CEA levels (n=40) (P<0.01).
Conclusion: Lobectomy without radical systematic mediastinal LA appears to be a satisfactory surgical procedure for octogenarians with clinical stage I NSCLC. However, mediastinoscopy is necessary in such octogenarians if their serum CEA level is elevated so that the precise clinical stage can be determined and an accurate prognosis can be given.