Abstract
Lung cancer of the right middle lobe (RM) is rare and the prognosis has not been definitively established. To make clear the clinical feature and the outcome of lung cancer of the RM, 224 patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer were studied. Eighty-one patients with lung cancer of the right upper lobe (RU), 11 of the RM, 38 of the right lower lobe (RL), 64 of the left upper lobe (LU), and 30 of the left lower lobe (LL) were surgically treated. The five-year survival rates of the RU was 53%, RM was 30%, RL was 46%, LU was 44%, and LL was 49%. Complete resection was performed in 75 patients of RU, 9 of RM, 37 of RL, 59 of LU, and 27 of LL. The complete resection rate was 93% in RU, 82% in RM, 97% in RL, 92% in LU, and 90% in LL. After complete resection, the survival rate of the patients of the RU was 58%, RM was 62%, RL was 48%, LU was 47%, and LL was 53%. The rate of the RM was superior to the patients of the other lobes. In conclusion, lung cancer of the RM showed a low complete resection rate and 5-year survival rate; however, when complete resection was performed, the prognosis was not poor. Early diagnosis and complete resection are needed for improving the prognosis of RM lung cancer.
