Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 29, Issue 11 541-545, Copyright © 1999 by Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research
A Tamura, A Hebisawa, K Hayashi, Y Sagara, Y Kawabe, N Nagayama, K Machida, K Fukushima, H Yotsumoto and M Mori
BACKGROUND: In Japan in the 1950s, thoracoplasty was a powerful therapy for
pulmonary tuberculosis. Now there are many aged people who have
tuberculosis sequelae caused by thoracoplasty. We have encountered some
cases of lung cancer among these people. METHODS: To elucidate the features
of lung cancer occurring after thoracoplasty for pulmonary tuberculosis, we
reviewed for analysis 20 such cases. RESULTS: There were 17 men and three
women, aged 55 to 78 years (mean 65 years). All had respiratory dysfunction
and most were cigarette smokers. Lung cancers were located in the upper
lobes in nine cases, in the middle lobe in one and in the lower lobes in
10. Ten lung cancers were in the thoracoplastied lung and the remaining 10
in the opposite lung. Histologically, squamous cell carcinoma was
predominant (11 cases). Eight lung cancers were detected in stages I and II
and 12 in stages III and IV. Most cancer lesions were separate from
tuberculosis lesions. Surgical resection was selected in only three of 11
stages I-IIIA cases in consideration of respiratory dysfunction and/or
ventilatory impairment due to thoracoplasty. Chemotherapy and/or
radiotherapy were performed in nine and supportive care alone was performed
in eight. Fourteen patients died of lung cancer and four died of cor
pulmonale due to tuberculosis sequelae. Five-year survival was achieved in
only one surgical case. Eight of the nine patients who received
chemotherapy or radiotherapy died within 1 year, and, further, seven of
eight patients who received supportive care died within 6 months.
CONCLUSION: Lung cancer in the patients who had received thoracoplasty
occurred in each lung and every lobe, independent of thoracoplasty. In
addition, delay of detection was such that stage III-IV cases were in the
majority, there were some limitations in therapeutic benefits related to
thoracoplasty and the prognosis was very poor. Physicians should avoid
delay in the detection of lung cancer through careful follow-up of such
patients.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Lung cancer in patients who had received thoracoplasty for pulmonary tuberculosis
Department of Respiratory Diseases, Tokyo National Chest Hospital, Kiyose, Japan.
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