[Evaluation of the efficacy of intensive preoperative irradiation of patients with lung cancer].

The study discusses the results of treatment in 118 radically operated lung cancer patients: surgery alone--66 and combined therapy including preoperative irradiation (4 Gy for 5 successive days, total focal dose--20 Gy)--52 cases. Radiation treatment did not significantly affect the patient's general condition, nor did it interfere with surgical procedure, increase operative blood loss or postoperative lethality. However, the postoperative complication rate was higher in the radiotherapy group (51.9 +/- 6.9%) than in the surgery alone group (39.4 +/- 6.0%) mainly due to increased incidence of cardiovascular disorders in patient older than 55 years of age suffering heart pathology. Radiation treatment assured a higher 5-year survival rate (32.0 +/- 9.2% as compared to 14.2 +/- 5.7%) in squamous-cell lung cancer. The beneficial effect of irradiation was most apparent in cases of central squamous-cell lung cancer with intact regional lymph nodes.