[Surgical treatment of lungcancer five-year survival. Major surgical complications (author's transl)].

In the period 1961--1971, 41 patients with a squamous-cell carcinoma were operated upon. The absolute 5-year survival is 47.6% for the lobectomy and 20% for the pneumonectomy. In the period 1971--1976 (6 years), 211 resections for carcinoma (all types) were performed including 19 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, operated in 1971 and also studied in the first part of the work. They represent only 15.2% of all the hospitalized lungcancer patients. The lobectomy/pneumonectomy ratio is 60/40. The postoperative mortality is respectively 4% and 9.5% and the major surgical complications (bleeding, broncho-pleural fistula, empyema) are 0.8% and 3.6%. The causes of postoperative death are examined. Remarkable is the low incidence of bronchial fistulisation: 1 in 211 resections for malignant tumors, i.e. 0.47%. These results are discussed and compared with the literature.