Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma: University of Cincinnati experience

OBJECTIVES: To review the outcomes of treatment in patients with pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in survival of patients treated with chemotherapy alone (median, 256 days) compared to patients not undergoing treatment (median, 205.5 days). Patients who underwent surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy showed a trend in improvement of survival (median, 457.6 days). Patients requiring only surgery had the longest OS of 713.5 days. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic chemotherapy alone did not improve survival in patients with PSC. Surgery provides the greatest overall survival benefit and adjuvant chemotherapy may also improve survival. METHODS: From 2000 to 2014, twenty-five patients with pathologically confirmed PSC were treated at UCMC. The outcomes were retrospectively analyzed by treatment with overall survival (OS) as the endpoint.