2008 Volume 58 Issue 4 Pages 397-401
An 88-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of a shadow in the right lower lung field on a chest x-ray. A transbronchial lung biopsy yielded a diagnosis of primary pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma. Further examination showed no extrathoracic lesion and the clinical staging was T2N0M0, stage IB. Since the patient could tolerate surgery, we performed a right lower lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. His postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged on postoperative day 11. The pathological postoperative diagnosis was a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the lung : p-t2n0p0d0e0pm0ly+v+, stage IB. The patient subsequently turned 91 years old, and has survived cancer-free for 34 months since his operation. We believe that more clinicians and investigators should address octogenarians with lung cancer. As the average life expectancy is changing, we should consider criteria for surgery that are in line with the times.
