Hebbie Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 Findings argue for substaging for tumour size within stage IA NSCLC Reuters Health Posting Date: November 14, 2003 Last Updated: 2003-11-14 13:01:19 -0400 (Reuters Health) NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In patients with stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the size of the tumor is an important predictor of survival, according to results of a study published in the November issue of the journal Chest. The current lung cancer staging system "clearly recognizes" a distinct difference in survival between patients with nonmetastasized tumors < 3 centimeters (stage IA) and tumors > 3 centimeters (stage IB), Dr. Jeffrey L. Port and colleagues from the Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York note. However, it has been unclear whether size remains an important determinant of survival when only tumors < 3 centimeters are considered. "This issue has important implications for lung cancer screening as well as for future refinements of the lung cancer staging system," they assert. Dr. Port's group took a look-back at 244 patients who underwent surgical resection for pathologically confirmed stage IA NSCLC from 1991 to 2001. The median follow-up time was 2.6 years. The overall 5-year survival rate was 71.1%. For patients with tumors measuring 2 centimeters or less (n=161), the 5-year survival rate was 77.2% compared with 60.3% for patients with tumors > 2 centimeters (n=83).] The overall 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 74.9%. For patients with tumors of2 centimeters or less, disease-specific survival was 81.4% versus 63.4% for those with tumors > 2 centimeters. "The difference in disease-specific survival was statistically significant (p=0.02, by log-rank test)," the authors note. "Our study indicates that within stage IA, a tumor size difference of even 1 cm can impact survival, leading us to believe that further substaging of stage IA lung cancer is necessary to ensure patients in this stage are receiving the most effective treatment," Dr. Port and colleagues write. The study also provides "preliminary support for the theory that size may correlate to some degree with biology and that small lesions do represent early stage disease," they add. It also suggests that lung cancer screening "may be useful in discovering even the smallest lesions," when chances of cure are best. The issue of lung cancer screening is "controversial," Dr. Richard S. Irwin, president of the American College of Chest Physicians. "This study reinforces the need for further investigation into the benefits and outcomes associates with lung cancer screening." Chest 2003;124:1828-1833. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 Thanks for all the info. It was very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.