Causes of death within 1 year of resection for lung cancer. Early mortality after resection.

Objectives: Some of the lung cancer patients who are treated surgically with curative intent ultimately die in the early postoperative period. The aim of this study is to analyze the causes of death within 1 year of resection for lung cancer in our patients.

Methods: Six hundred and twenty patients, who underwent resection for lung cancer with a curative intent were reviewed retrospectively. Eighteen patients (2.9%) died due to postoperative complications or within the first month and 51 (8.4%) patients (group 1) died within the first year after operation. Fifty-one patients (group 1) were compared with the survivors (group 2) in terms of age, gender, preoperative FEV 1, pathological tumor node metastasis (TNM), histopathological subtypes, type of resection, completeness of the resection, preoperative Karnofsky performance status and application of postoperative radiotherapy.

Results: Pathological TNM (P<0.001) type of resection (P<0.01) histopathological subtype (P<0.001) completeness of the resection (P<0.05) and postoperative radiotherapy (P<0.001) were determined to be significant factors in mortality within 1 year after resection for lung cancer.

Conclusions: The patients with pathological stage 3 disease, with large cell histology or who had undergone pneumonectomy have a higher risk of mortality within 1 year. These patients require detailed preoperative work up in terms of metastatic disease and cardiopulmonary physiological status.