Segmental resection for bronchogenic carcinoma: a surgical alternative for the compromised patient.

Over a twenty-year period, 44 patients with peripheral bronchogenic carcinoma who were unable to tolerate major pulmonary resection underwent segmentectomy as an alternative to nonoperative management. There were 2 immediate postoperative deaths. Of 31 patients eligible, 36% survived five years, and the mean survival time approached four years. Excluding those patients with undifferentiated small cell carcinoma, segmental resection in this compromised group offered a good chance for cure while providing reasonable palliation, and this procedure should be considered as a surgical option to other modalities of treatment commonly offered to these individuals.