Does pneumonectomy have a role in the treatment of stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer?

Background: The role of surgical resection for stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. We sought to examine outcomes after pneumonectomy for patients with stage IIIA disease.

Methods: All patients with stage IIIA NSCLC who had pneumonectomy at a single institution between 1999 and 2010 were reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate long-term survival and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify clinical characteristics associated with survival.

Results: During the study period, 324 patients had surgical resection of stage IIIA NSCLC. Pneumonectomy was performed in 55 patients, 23 (42%) of whom had N2 disease. Induction treatment was used in 17 patients (31%) overall and in 11 of the patients (48%) with N2 disease. Perioperative mortality was 9% (n = 5) overall and 18% (n = 3) in patients that had received induction therapy (p = 0.17). Complications occurred in 32 patients (58%). Three-year survival was 36% and 5-year survival was 29% for all patients. Three-year survival was 40% for N0-1 patients and 29% for N2 patients (p = 0.59). In multivariable analysis, age over 60 years (hazard ratio [HR] 3.65, p = 0.001), renal insufficiency (HR 5.80, p = 0.007), and induction therapy (HR 2.17, p = 0.05) predicted worse survival, and adjuvant therapy (HR 0.35, p = 0.007) predicted improved survival.

Conclusions: Long-term survival after pneumonectomy for stage IIIA NSCLC is within an acceptable range, but pneumonectomy may not be appropriate after induction therapy or in patients with renal insufficiency. Patient selection and operative technique that limit perioperative morbidity and facilitate the use of adjuvant chemotherapy are critical to optimizing outcomes.