1994 Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 455-459
We review 7 patients treated with bronchoplastic lobectomy for small-cell lung cancer. There were 5 males and 2 females with an average age of 59.7 years. All 7 had intermediate cell type small-cell cancer which was stage I in one patient and stage IIIA in 6 according to postoperative pathological findings. The operative procedures performed were right upper sleeve lobectomy in 4 patients, right upper wedge lobectomy in one, left lower sleeve lobectomy in one, and left lower lobectomy and lingular segmentectomy with sleeve bronchoplasty in one. Postoperative complications occurred in 2 patients, who died 37 days and 3 months after surgery, respectively. Three patients died of recurrent metastatic lung cancer, 7, 8 and 17 months after lung resection. Only 2 patients are alive now 3 months and 8 years after bronchoplasty. There was no local recurrence of small cell cancer at the bronchial anastomosis.
Because no local recurrence was noted at the site of anastomosis and there was one longterm survivor, bronchoplasty for small-cell lung cancer is recommended.
