[Probability of leaving cancer tissue unresected by limited operation in patients with peripheral, stage I non-small cell lung cancer].

: To study the probability of leaving metastatic lymph nodes or intralobar metastasis unresected by limited surgery, we reviewed histopathologically 189 patients who had major pulmonary resection and complete lymph adenectomy for peripheral, p-T 1 or T 2 non-small cell lung cancer from 1975 to 1997 at our hospital. Lymph node involvements and or intralobar metastasis were found in 25 (26.0%) of 96 cases with tumor smaller than 3.0 cm and 44 (47.3%) of 93 cases with tumor larger than 3.0 cm. There was no difference between histological types of lung cancer. From this result, it was suggested that the risk of leaving cancer by limited operation would not be low. In conclusion, we believe that limited operation is not an alternative to the standard resection in patients with peripheral, stage I non-small cell lung cancer.