Results of treatment of primary carcinoma of the lung. Analysis of 3,000 cases.

Three thousand patients with primary carcinoma of the lung entered in the Armed Forces Central Medical Registry are reported. Forty-one per cent had squamous cell, 28.5 per cent adenocarcinoma, 25.2 per cent small cell/undifferentiated, and 4.9 per cent miscellaneous cell types. When first seen, 71.1 per cent had no organ metastases and 50.6 per cent no lymph node metastases. Over-all survival rate was 18.2 per cent at 5 years and 14.5 per cent at 10 years. Survival following definitive resection, palliative resection, definitive radiation, palliative radiation, and chemotherapy was determined both in the presence of mediastinal nodal involvement and in the absence of mediatinal nodal involvement. Where resection for cure could be carried out, 5 year survival rates of 48.8 per cent were possible. The factors affecting this improved outlook in our military population are discussed and, in general, appear to be related to a ready accessibility of medical care and the necessity, because of global commitments, of establishing an early diagnosis. Cell type ecerted some influence on survival, but the major determinant appeared to be the absence of involved nodes at the time of the operation.