Pulmonary Resection for a Residual Tumor after Definitive Radiation in Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective and Methods To clarify the benefits of surgery for a persistent tumor following definitive radiation in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, five patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results All patients received definitive radiation, and three received concurrent chemotherapy followed by anatomical lung resection for a residual local tumor. The median time from the radiation to surgery was 8.2 weeks. There were no postoperative mortalities. Four patients developed distant metastasis with a mean recurrence-free interval of 7.5 months. Conclusions Distant metastasis frequently occurred within a relatively short period after surgery. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed.