[Results of treatment of malignant stenoses of the respiratory tract in a long term study].

BACKGROUND

:The malignant stenoses complicate the course of the disease in about 50% of patients with lung tumors. Management of them can influence the quality of life of the afflicted. There is no general agreement about optimal methods of their therapy, of selection of the best methods and also there is only few data about survival of these patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

130 patients with tumors stenoses of the airways were prospectively followed in the 1998-2003 period, 93 of them suffered from lung cancer. Besides other treatment of the tumor they underwent also interventional bronchoscopy (Nd YAG laser, electrocautery i.e.). The airways were opened completely in 62% of the set of patients. The interventional bronchoscopy was complicated in 9% of patients, 32 patients lived at the 31st December of 2003, 98 of them had died. One year survival was 23.1%, median survival of the whole set of patients was 7 months. The patients with lung cancer had significantly worse survival than patients with other types of lung tumors, 6 months versus 10 months. There were no significant survival differences of the whole set according to the achieved grade of recanalisation, or according the inclusion of the brachytherapy to the set of interventional methods. The patients with inserted stent had significantly worse prognosis than the those without stenting. To homogenize the study group, the subset of patients with epidermoid lung cancer in the stage IIIB were selected (n = 51). Significantly longer survival of patients with complete recanalisation, insignificant longer survival in patients who underwent also brachytherapy and significantly shorter survival in patients with stenting were proved in this subgroup of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The interventional bronchoscopy has a low rate of complications and in most cases it has a palliative effect. The survival of patients is more influenced by the extension and the type of the tumor, their general status, polymorbidity, age etc. than by effect or selection of interventional bronchoscopical methods.