Prognostic factors for survival after pulmonary resection of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Pulmonary resection in metastatic renal cell carcinoma is an accepted method of treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical course, outcome, and prognostic factors after surgery.

Methods: Between 1985 and 1999, 191 patients (145 men, 46 women) with pulmonary metastases from a renal cell carcinoma underwent surgical resection.

Comparison of changes in the NSE levels with clinical assessment in the therapy monitoring of patients with SCLC.

In a series of 130 consecutive patients suffering from small cell lung cancer (SCLC), we compared response evaluations according to standard criteria of the WHO with response evaluations according to changes in the neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels during systemic therapy. For assessment by changes in the marker levels, the difference between two consecutive levels must exceed 30%. This value is based on the formula: Dc = 2(square root 2) x CV (CV: inter-assay coefficient of variation of the NSE test, set at 10 %).