Role of adjuvant chemotherapy after pneumonectomy for non-small cell lung cancer

• Published in: Oncology letters Vol. 4; no. 6; pp. 1349 - 1353
• Main Authors: WANG, MENG, ZHAO, JING, SU, YAN-JUN, ZHAO, XIAO-LIANG, WANG, CHANG-LI
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece D.A. Spandidos 01.12.2012; Spandidos Publications UK Ltd
• Subjects: adjuvant chemotherapy; Age; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; forced expiratory volume in 1 second; Lung cancer; Mortality; non-small cell lung cancer; Oncology; Ostomy; Patients; pneumonectomy; Studies; Surgery; Survival analysis; Tomography
• ISSN: 1792-1074; 1792-1082
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2012.892

Adjuvant chemotherapy is used as an alternative treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the efficiency of post-pneumonectomy adjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC has not been clarified. In the present study, patients who benefited from adjuvant chemotherapy with TP/NP/GP were identified. A total of 217 patients who underwent pneumonectomy were identified in this study. Of these, 87 underwent pneumonectomy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy (TP/NP/GP regimen) and 130 underwent pneumonectomy only in the initial management. The primary endpoint of the present study was overall survival. Actuarial survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved the survival rate of patients who underwent left pneumonectomy and in patients with a preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) greater than or equal to 21. Age had no effect on the survival rate of patients with or without postoperative adjuvant therapy. Post-pneumonectomy adjuvant chemotherapy is an efficient therapy in NSCLC for patients with preoperative FEV1 greater than or equal to 21 or who received left pneumonectomy.