Long-term survival after chemotherapy and salvage lobectomy for multiple station N2 stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer: A case report

Abstract

The optimal treatment strategy of multiple station N2 stage ⅢA non-small-cell lung cancer remains controversial. A 66-yearold man was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, pathological multiple station N2 stage ⅢA. After three lines of chemotherapy were administered, partial response was obtained. Since 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomographycomputed tomography (PET-CT) showed reduced uptake in every lesion, salvage surgery was performed. In the resected lung, adenocarcinoma was detected, but no lymph node metastasis was seen. The down-staging by PET-CT well reflected the pathological findings and effectively worked in this case. More than eleven years after surgery, no recurrence has been confirmed. A combination of chemotherapy, PET-CT, and salvage surgery is one of the strategies that could bring patients with multiple station N2 stage ⅢA non-small cell lung cancer a long-term survival.