The effects of the degree of pleural invasion on survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing surgical resection

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree and size of pleural invasion in non-small cell lung cancer patients and to compare its relationship with the survival time. METHODS: Between January 2008 and June 2019, a total of 164 patients (143 males, 21 females; median age: 64.65 years; range 39 to 92 years) who underwent surgical resection with a diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer and who were found to have pleural invasion histopathologically were retrospectively analyzed. The control group consisted of 105 patients (95 males, 10 females; median age: 61.7 years; range, 32 to 82 years) who underwent surgical resection but who were not found to have pleural invasion histopathologically during the same time period. Survival time was compared between the groups. RESULTS: Median survival was 52 months in the group with pleural invasion, while it was 70.6 months in the group without pleural invasion. In the pleural invasion group, the patients who underwent sublobar resection had shorter survival. The degree of pleural invasion (p=0.028), advanced age (p=0.022), and lymph node involvement (p=0.011) were found to be poor prognostic factors for survival. CONCLUSION: In non-small cell lung cancer patients, the increase in the degree and size of pleural invasion is negatively correlated with the survival time and this is thought to be associated with advanced disease stage.