Treatment of clinical T4 stage superior sulcus non-small cell lung cancer: a propensity-matched analysis of the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database

The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic factors and optimal treatment strategy for patients with T4 SS-NSCLC.We utilized the SEER database to identify patients diagnosed with T4 stage SS-NSCLC from 2004-2015. A total of 384 patients were included. A total of 47 patients underwent cancer-directed surgery, while radiotherapy alone was received by 60.2% of patients. Median overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) were 12 and 17 months, respectively, and the 5-year OS and LCSS rates were 15.8% and 25.4%, respectively. In the matched population, the median survival outcomes were better following surgery (OS: 25 vs 9.0 months, p