Background: Various multidisciplinary approaches are taken in the treatment of superior sulcus tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome, long-term results, and factors associated with prolonged survival after administering different combined radiosurgical regimens in a single institution.
Methods: Between 1986 and 2000, 56 patients (43 men, 13 women) with superior sulcus tumor and histology of non-small-cell lung cancer underwent surgical resection. There were four treatment groups: I - preoperative radiation and operation (n = 15); II - preoperative radiation, operation and postoperative radiation (n = 22); III - operation and postoperative radiation (n = 10) and IV - no radiotherapy (n = 9). Survival was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors were assessed for significance by log-rank test and Cox regression analysis.
Results: The five-year survival rate after complete resection and N0/1 was 34 %. Of the prognostic factors analyzed, the histology, type of irradiation regimen and Horner's syndrome did not influence survival. Completeness of resection and mediastinal lymph node involvement clearly influences survival in univariate analysis. Age, sex and TNM classification were found to be independent significant prognostic factors for survival following resection.
Conclusion: With superior sulcus tumors, every attempt should be made to resect the tumor completely by en bloc chest-wall resection with lobectomy and systematic hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection. Mediastinal exploration by routine mediastinoscopy is recommended for identification of patients with advanced nodal involvement. Long-term survival may be relative to care taken in patient selection and extent of the resection performed. No significant difference in survival of patients with different irradiation regimens could be demonstrated in this study.