Clinicopathological analysis of clinical N0 peripheral lung cancers with a diameter of 1cm or less

Background: The appropriateness of limited resection for small-sized lung cancer continues to be debated. It is not yet clear whether tumor size alone is a reliable indicator for limited resection. Methods: From 1980 to 2002, 27 patients with clinical NO peripheral lung cancers having diameters of 1 cm or less underwent pulmonary resection. Clinicopathological features of these cases were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Histological analysis showed that there were 23 cases of adenocarcinoma (81.5%), two large cell carcinomas (7.4%), and two carcinoid tumors. Twenty-two cases were classified as pathological stage 1, one was stage II, and four were stage III. Four patients (14.8%) had lymphatic vessel invasion, three (11.1%) had lymph node metastasis, and two (7.4%) had intrapulmonary metastasis. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 76.6%. Conclusions: It is impossible to predict the effectiveness of an intentional limited resection for lung cancer using only tumor size.