Three-year results of surgical and combined treatment of lung cancer with a preoperative radiotherapy.

In this paper the analysis of immediate results of clinical material is given which has been accumulated by participants of the joint investigation in some CMEA member countries (Project 3-9.1.1 of the Lung Cancer Program; Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, USSR, Czechoslovakia) with the aim to study the effectiveness of one of the variants of combined treatment of patients with differentiated forms of lung cancer. Combined treatment received 286 patients, 231 patients (control group) were treated surgically. It is concluded that the preoperative radiotherapy using the method of the intense concentrated course does not complicate the operation itself and is not reflected in the nature and frequencies of intraoperative complications. However, in combination with the subsequent surgical intervention, it significantly elevates the number of postoperative complications, particularly of those of purulent nature (bronchial fistula, intrapleural empyema) and also the lethality. The difference between the groups in this respect is particularly significant at State III of the disease. Late results were studied in 379 patients (in 221 of them after a combined treatment and in 158 after surgical treatment). For more than 1, 3 and 5 years survived 76.5, 49.4 and 34.48% (combined treatment) and 77.2, 41.2 and 20.7% (surgery), respectively. The differences between the groups in favor of the combined treatment are due to patients with Stage III planocellular carcinoma.