Key findings in this study show that 5 - year survival for older
lung cancer surgery patients is favorable; surgeons will be able to better individualize care for older lung cancer patients based on newly and uniquely linked data, and the prevalence of lung cancer is expected to increase as the population continues to age.
For example, a recent study of outcomes
after lung cancer surgery demonstrated fewer complications and a higher success rate of cancerous node removal in patients who had their procedures performed by a thoracic surgeon, rather than a cardiac or general surgeon.
In examining the STS - CMS linked data, researchers found that the median survival following
lung cancer surgery for pathologic Stage I (early stage) was 6.7 years, almost 2 years longer than the benchmark 5 - year survival rate.
Patients aged 65 years and older are living longer
after lung cancer surgery, and with older people representing a rapidly growing proportion of patients diagnosed with lung cancer, this improved survival is especially significant, according to an article posted online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery..
Samuel Cykert, MD, has received a $ 1.8 million five - year grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS) to study «
Lung Cancer Surgery: Decisions Against Life Saving Care.»