Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Surgical treatment of neuroendocrine tumors of the lung.

OBJECTIVE: This report reviews the pattern of neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation, lymph-node involvement, extension of surgery, and survival in 125 NE lung tumor patients.

METHODS: Standard diagnostic workup included CT scan, bronchoscopy, bronchial biopsy or Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy, (111)In-pentetreotide scan (OctreoScan) and mediastinoscopy in selected patients. NE differentiation was assessed based on the morphology and immunohistochemical reactivity for pan-neuroendocrine markers NSE, CGA, and Synaptophysin. For small cell carcinoma (SCC), only clinical stage I and II patients underwent surgery. Several different surgical procedures were utilized, from limited resections to lobectomy, pneumonectomy, and bronchoplastic procedures. Survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meyer method at 5 years.

RESULTS: There were 79 typical carcinoid (TC), eight atypical carcinoid (AC), 18 large cell carcinoma (LCC) and 20 SCC patients. Mean age at diagnosis was 54.6+/-15.2 (ranges from 16 to 77 years) for TC, 68.5+/-9.1 (range 53-81) for AC, 68.7+/-4.6 (range 58-77) for LCC, 64.6+/-7.9 (range 48-82) for SCC. Male/female ratio was 1/1 for TC and AC, 2.6/1 for LCC and 9/1 for SCC. Lymph-node involvement was present in 14% of TC, 0% of AC, 31.5% of LCC, and 45% of SCC. Cancer specific survival was 96% for TC, 87.5% for AC, 37.5% for LCC, and 30% for SCC at 5 years from surgery. Presenting symptoms were invariably of respiratory-related. None had the carcinoid syndrome. History of tobacco abuse ranged from 46% for TC to 100% in SCC. Survival ranged from a minimum of 1 month for SCC to a maximum of 168 months with no evidence of disease for TC. Synchronous multicentric forms were found in 14% of TC. Twenty-one percent (4/19) of the patients with SCC treated by induction therapy and surgery, and in few cases by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy are alive without the evidence of the disease for 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high percentage of lymph-node involvement and multicentric forms found in our series lobectomy with radical lymph-node dissection appears, in our opinion, the most appropriate surgical treatment in well-differentiated forms, while more limited resection appears sub-optimal. Also, due to the finding of recurrences many years after surgery, the follow-up must be accurate and protracted in this subgroup. Only Small Cell Lung Carcinoma patients in clinical stage I and II underwent surgery with good long-term results.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app