Modern surgical results of lung cancer involving neighboring structures: A retrospective analysis of 531 pT3 cases in a Japanese Lung Cancer Registry Study

Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify the modern surgical results of pathologic T3 lung cancer and to examine the heterogeneity of this group from the nationwide database. Methods: The registered data of 11,663 cases from the Japanese Joint Committee of Lung Cancer Registry conducted in 2010 were analyzed, which included patients with resected lung cancer during 2004. Of these patients, 531 with invasive T3 lung cancer constituted the study population. Results: Of the 531 patients, 466 were men and 65 women, with a mean age of 65.9 years. The 3- and 5-year survival rates and median survival time was 54.0%, 44.9%, and 46 months, respectively. A multivariate analysis showed incomplete resection, N2 disease, and no adjuvant therapy were independent prognostic factors of a poor outcome. However, pneumonectomy and N1 disease were not significantly associated with the prognosis. In terms of each involved structure, we detected 407 patients with T3 tumors involving the chest wall, 56 involving the mediastinal pleura, 45 with involvement of the bronchus within 2 cm of the carina, 31 involving the diaphragm, and 20 involving the pericardium. The corresponding 5-year survival rates were 43.2%, 40.1%, 55.2%, 42.6%, and 54.2%. Conclusions: The modern 5-year survival rates of patients with T3 lung cancer involving any neighboring structures have been 40% to 55%, and the current pT3 group was proved to have a relatively uniform prognosis.