Recurrence of p-stage I non-small cell lung cancer in patients after complete resection

Abstract

The 5-year survival rate of patients with p-stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is approximately 80%, and tumors can recur after complete resection. Here, we investigated the prognoses of patients with completely resected p-stage I NSCLC to identify factors that could be used to predict recurrence. We focused on patients who underwent lobectomy or more extensive procedures with systematic lymph node dissection. During the follow-up (median, 45 months; range, 1-89 months), 51 patients showed recurrence, the overall 5-year survival rate was 92.1% (95% confidence interval, 88.0-94.8%), and the 5-year survival rate without recurrence was 84.9% (95% confidence interval, 80.3-88.5%). Analysis of the relative risks identified the size and diameter of tumor infiltration (computed tomography), pathological tumor infiltration diameter, pathological T factor, histological type, histological grade, pleural invasion, vascular invasion, lymphatic vessel invasion, and preoperative CEA concentration as indicators of recurrence. Multivariate analysis identified the histological grade as the only independent predictor of recurrence.