Results and Clinical Characteristics of Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung with Surgical Treatment

Follows-up results and cHnical parameters were investigated in 33 patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung that underwent surgery, including 7 oat cell carcinomas and 26 non-oat cell small cell carcinoma. Postoperatively they were treated with anticancer agents and/or 60Co radiation. 27 of all patients died of cancer from 1 month to 3 years and 10 months postoperatively. All of the oat cell group died within 15 months postoperatively. In 21 patients distant metastatic foci were demonstrated during the postoperative period. In 26 non-oat cell carcinomas 6 survived more than 2 years and 2 patients survived over 5 years. Small cell carcinoma patients showed a tumor doubling time of 67±34 days while that of squamous cell carcinoma was 94±68 days and that of adenocarcinoma was 116±81 days (p < 0.01). In the small cell carcinoma series there was apparent correlation between preoperative tumor size and serum α2 -globulin level. Many patients with elevated preoperative serum 0:2-globulin levels and/or LDH levels showed poorer postoperative prognosis. Our results indicate the benefits of surgery for non-oat cell small cell carcinoma of the lung, and suggest that such parameters as described above may be useful for postoperative prognostic factors of this type of carcinoma.