Local control of disease and survival following bronchoplastic lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer

Background: This study was designed to determine whether bronchoplastic resection could be an alternative to pneumonectomy in patients with operable primary lung cancer. Methods: From 1980 to 1996, 63 patients (59 males and four females; mean age 62 ^ 7 years) underwent a bronchoplastic lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer, indicated because of a disabled respiratory function in 34 patients, and performed electively in 29 patients. There were 38 right upper lobectomies, four bilobectomies, one middle lobectomy combined with lower lobe apical segmentectomy, ten left upper and ten left lower lobectomies. The bronchoplasty was a full sleeve in 24 patients, and a bronchial wedge resection in 39. Results: A single patient died post-operatively (1.6%). Speci®c procedure-related complications are summarized as follows: six anastomotic complications managed conservatively (9.5%), 15 space problems (23.8%), nine sputum retentions (14.2%). Pathologic staging classi®ed 30 patients in stage I, 21 patients in stage II, and 12 in stage IIIA. Estimated 5-year survival was 69:7 ^ 9:8% in stage I, 37:1 ^ 12:1% in stage II, and 8:3 ^ 8:0% in stage IIIA. Fourteen patients (22.2%) developed locoregional recurrence. Three of them died with local recurrence alone, whereas 10 developed metastatic progression; a single patient is alive following completion pneumonectomy. According to stage, three recurrences occurred in stage I (10%), six in stage II (28%), and ®ve in stage IIIA (38%). Actuarial freedom from local recurrence was signi®cantly higher after elective procedures (P 0:019); there was a trend towards improved outcome following right-sided procedures (P 0:079) and following wedge bronchoplasty (P 0:055). Five patients experienced a second primary cancer (7.9%), which was resected in four. Conclusion: Bronchoplastic resections achieve local control and long-term survival comparable to standard resections in patients with stage I or II disease, and may be considered as a valuable alternative to pneumonectomy.