Objective: According to the new classification of intrapulmonary metastasis (pm) of lung cancer by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), ipsilateral pm is classified as a T factor. We evaluated the prognostic factors of ipsilateral pm after surgical treatment, and validity of the new classification. Methods: From January 1977 to December 1994, 41 patients (24 males and 17 females) with lung cancer had a postoperative diagnosis of intrapulmonary pm. The histologic type consisted of 27 adenocarcinoma, 12 squamous cell carcinoma, and 1 large cell carcinoma. Twenty patients had pm in the same lobe in which the primary lesion was located, and 21 patients had pm in ipsilateral different lobe(s). Thirty patients underwent lobectomy, 5 bilobectomy and 6 pneumonectomy. Survival was calculated by the Kaplan Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: The overall survival was 25.8% at 5 years (median survival time (MST), 26 months). The 3-year survival of patients with pm in the same lobe was 49% (MST, 33 months), and that of patients with different lobe was 21% (MST, 16 months) (P = 0.237). There were no significant differences in survival in relation to age ses, histology. pathological N factor, or number of pm. Multivariate analysis identified a significant correlation between survival and T factor proposed by AJCC (P = 0.022). Conclusions: The new classification seems useful for estimating postoperative prognosis of the resected patients with lung cancer accompanied by ipsilateral pm. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
