The Surgical Treatment of Primary Carcinoma of the Lung

Abstract

Studies during recent years have shown that primary carcinoma of the lungs actually is occurring more frequently. The importance of early diagnosis, followed by early treatment, cannot be stressed too greatly. Surgery is the treatment of choice. The management of the patient with primary carcinoma of the lung entails close cooperation between the internist, the bronchoscopist, and the surgeon.

Incidence: Necropsy studies have revealed the lung to be a far more common site for the development of a primary malignant growth than has been appreciated previously. In a group of 7,685 consecutive necropsies done at the Cleveland City Hospital, and reported by Koletsky¹, the lung was the second most frequent site of origin of primary malignancies, being exceeded only by the stomach. It has been shown that approximately 10 per cent of all primary cancers originate in the lungs. Simons² showed that the high incidence of lung cancer today is due to a relative and an absolute increase in frequency. Dublin showed that approximately 150,000 persons die from all types of cancer in the United States each year. This would indicate an average death rate of approximately 15,000 people each year from primary cancer of the lungs in this country.

In a five month period (February 1 to July 1, 1940) thirteen proved cases of primary carcinoma of the lungs were seen at the Cleveland Clinic out of 347 patients presenting respiratory symptoms. As over half of these 347 patients were below the considered cancer age limit, this would suggest. . .