Lung

, Volume 195, Issue 1, pp 107–114 | Cite as

Prognostic Impact of Node-Spreading Pattern in Surgically Treated Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicentric Analysis

  • Giovanni Leuzzi
  • Filippo Lococo
  • Gabriele Alessandrini
  • Isabella Sperduti
  • Lorenzo Spaggiari
  • Federico Venuta
  • Erino A. Rendina
  • Pierluigi M. Granone
  • Cristian Rapicetta
  • Piero Zannini
  • Gaetano Di Rienzo
  • Maurizio Nicolosi
  • Francesco Facciolo
Article
  • 151 Downloads

Abstract

Objective

Although surgery in selected small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients has been proposed as a part of multimodality therapy, so far, the prognostic impact of node-spreading pattern has not been fully elucidated. To investigate this issue, a retrospective analysis was performed.

Methods

From 01/1996 to 12/2012, clinico-pathological, surgical, and oncological features were retrospectively reviewed in a multicentric cohort of 154 surgically treated SCLC patients. A multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was developed using stepwise regression, in order to identify independent outcome predictors. Overall (OS), cancer-specific (CSS), and Relapse-free survival (RFS) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method.

Results

Overall, median OS, CSS, and RFS were 29 (95 % CI 18–39), 48 (95 % CI 19–78), and 22 (95 % CI 17–27) months, respectively. Lymphadenectomy was performed in 140 (90.9 %) patients (median number of harvested nodes: 11.5). Sixty-seven (47.9 %) pN0-cases experienced the best long-term survival (CSS: 71, RFS: 62 months; p < 0.0001). Among node-positive patients, no prognostic differences were found between pN1 and pN2 involvement (CSS: 22 vs. 15, and RFS: 14 vs. 10 months, respectively; p = 0.99). By splitting node-positive SCLC according to concurrent N1-invasion, N0N2-patients showed a worse CSS compared to those cases with combined N1N2-involvement (N0N2: 8 months vs. N1N2: 22 months; p = 0.04). On the other hand, the number of metastatic stations (p = 0.80) and the specific node-level (p = 0.85) did not affect CSS. At multivariate analysis, pN+ (HR: 3.05, 95 % CI 1.21–7.67, p = 0.02) and ratio between metastatic and resected lymph-nodes (RL, HR: 1.02, 95 % CI 1.00–1.04, p = 0.03) were independent predictors of CSS. Moreover, node-positive patients (HR: 3.60, 95 % CI 1.95–6.63, p < 0.0001) with tumor size ≥5 cm (HR: 1.85, 95 % CI 0.88–3.88, p = 0.10) experienced a worse RFS.

Conclusions

In selected surgically treated SCLC, the long-term survival may be stratified according to the node-spreading pattern.

Keywords

Small-cell lung cancer Surgery Lymphadenectomy Node-spreading pattern Ratio Multimodality therapy 

Notes

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ms. Tania Merlino for her assistance in revising the manuscript.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest

None.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Giovanni Leuzzi
    • 1
  • Filippo Lococo
    • 2
  • Gabriele Alessandrini
    • 3
  • Isabella Sperduti
    • 4
  • Lorenzo Spaggiari
    • 5
  • Federico Venuta
    • 6
  • Erino A. Rendina
    • 7
  • Pierluigi M. Granone
    • 8
  • Cristian Rapicetta
    • 2
  • Piero Zannini
    • 9
  • Gaetano Di Rienzo
    • 10
  • Maurizio Nicolosi
    • 11
  • Francesco Facciolo
    • 3
  1. 1.Thoracic Surgery UnitFondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei TumoriMilanItaly
  2. 2.Unit of Thoracic SurgeryArcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCSReggio EmiliaItaly
  3. 3.Thoracic Surgery UnitRegina Elena National Cancer Institute – IFORomeItaly
  4. 4.Scientific DirectionRegina Elena National Cancer Institute – IFORomeItaly
  5. 5.Thoracic Surgery Division, European Institute of OncologyUniversity of MilanMilanItaly
  6. 6.Department of Thoracic SurgeryUniversity of Rome SAPIENZA, Policlinico Umberto I, Fondazione Eleonora Lorilard Spencer CenciRomeItaly
  7. 7.Division of Thoracic Surgery, S. Andrea HospitalUniversity of Rome SAPIENZA, Fondazione Eleonora Lorilard Spencer CenciRomeItaly
  8. 8.Department of Thoracic SurgeryCatholic University of Sacred HeartRomeItaly
  9. 9.Department of Thoracic SurgerySan Raffaele Scientific InstituteMilanItaly
  10. 10.Thoracic Surgery UnitV. Fazzi HospitalLecceItaly
  11. 11.Thoracic Surgery UnitCannizzaro HospitalCataniaItaly

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