Clinical characteristics and prognostic analysis of 27 cases of bronchopulmonary carcinoid

Abstract

Objective: To study the clinical and biological characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of bronchopulmonary carcinoid (BPC).Methods: A total of 27 patients with lung carcinoid tumors,treated at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital from January 1974 to August 2005 and having complete clinical data,were retrospectively reviewed.Results: Of the 27 cases: 15 patients were confirmed pathologically as having typical carcinoid and 12 with atypical carcinoid; 12 patients had no smoking history and 15 cases had smoking history (2 had a smoking index level of less than 400 and 13 had greater or equal to 400); 22 cases were examined with a fiberbronchoscope before the operation,but only 1 case had a positive result.The clinical manifestation of the lung carcinoid is a cough,the radiographic characteristics had no relationship with the pathological types (χ~2=2.87,P=0.091).Twenty-four cases received surgery,21 radical (3 were routine pneumonectomy, 18 were lobectomy) and 3 conservative sleeve resection.Patients received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone with programs of cisplatin or carboplatin-based 2 drugs together or on a triple drugs chemotherapy plan.All the chemotherapy was continued for 1～6 cycles.Survival rates for 1-,3-,and 5-years were 96.2%,90.4% and 64.6%,respectively.The lymph nodes metastasis (χ~2=4.22,P=0.04) and clinical stage (χ~2=4.26,P=0.04) were the significant prognostic factors.Conclusion: Long term survival can be obtained.Compared with lung cancer and other lung benign tumors,the bronchopulmonary carcinoid has no special manifestation as the clinical and radiographic characteristics.The positive pathological diagnosis from fiberbronchoscope is low.Lymph node metastasis and stage are the significant prognostic factors.The status of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in the whole course of treatment remains to be further studied.