Do ground-glass opacity-dominant features have prognostic significance in node-negative adenocarcinomas with invasive components of similar sizes?

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyse the prognostic significance of the dominant features of ground-glass opacities (GGOs) in part-solid node-negative adenocarcinomas with invasive components of similar sizes.

Methods: From 2004 to 2017, a total of 544 patients with a diagnosis of part-solid pathological node-negative adenocarcinoma with an invasive component <20 mm in size were selected. The enrolled patients were categorized into 2 groups: a GGO-dominant [50% < GGO (%) < 100%, n = 245] group (group 1) and a solid-dominant [0% < GGO (%) ≤ 50%, n = 299] group (group 2). To analyse the prognostic significance of GGO-dominant features, propensity score matching incorporating variables such as age, sex, preoperative pulmonary function, operation methods and size of the solid component was performed.

Results: Propensity score matching produced 92 patients in each group for the prognostic analysis. The mean size of the solid part was 8.8 mm in the GGO-dominant group and 9.0 mm in the solid-dominant group (P = 0.34); the mean size of the total lesion was 22.2 mm in the GGO-dominant group and 14.9 mm in the solid-dominant group (P < 0.001). The 5-year overall survival rates were 96.7% in group 1 and 96.2% in group 2 (P = 0.52), and the 5-year disease-free survival rates were 96.7% in group 1 and 94.3% in group 2 (P = 0.48).

Conclusions: Although the total sizes of the GGO-dominant lesions were larger than those of the solid-dominant lesions, the prognosis of patients with GGO-dominant lesions was not significantly different from that of patients with solid-dominant lesions in node-negative adenocarcinomas with a similar invasive component size <20 mm.

Keywords: Follow-up; Lung adenocarcinoma; Part-solid nodule; Surgery.