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Vol.42 No.4 contents | Japanese/English |
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- Original Article -
Clinicopathological Assessment of Lung Cancer With Carcinomatous Pleuritis on Initial Relapse After Complete Resection
Yasuhiko Ohta1, Kenji Iino1, Masaya Tamura1, Hideo Sato1, Kazuyoshi Katayanagi2, Hiroshi Kurumaya2Department of 1Thoracic Surgery and 2Pathology, Ishikawa Prefectural Central Hospital, Japan
Objective. This study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical results of lung cancer patients with carcinomatous pleuritis on initial relapse. Methods. Out of 455 surgically treated lung cancer patients in the past decade, six patients (1.3%) developed carcinomatous pleuritis as the initial sign of relapse. All of the six patients had undergone complete resection of the primary tumor. The outcomes and clinicopathological characteristics were assessed. Results. All cases were peripheral type adenocarcinoma. Only 2 cases showed P2 of visceral pleural invasion. Venous or lymphatic invasion were frequently found in the histological sections. The mean disease-free interval after the operation was 34 months. Among the six patients, 2 cases survived beyond 2 years after treatment by intrapleural administration of anti-cancer drugs and systemic chemotherapy. The median survival after the development of carcinomatous pleuritis was 14 months. Conclusion. The results showed the possible association of blood/lymphatic routes with the development of carcinomatous pleuritis. In some lung cancer patients with carcinomatous pleuritis on initial relapse, long-term survival can be expected by aggressive interventions consisting of intrathoracic and/or systemic chemotherapies.
key words: Lung cancer, Recurrence, Carcinomatosa pleuritis, Prognosis, Chemotherapy
Received: February 25, 2002
Accepted: April 11, 2002
JJLC 42 (4): 249-253, 2002
