Postoperative complications after adjuvant surgery for lung cancer

Neoadjuvant therapy is a new modality treatment for primary lung cancer. This paper analyzes the complications after 30 adjuvant operations in our institution from Jan. 1984 to Dec. 1987. Thirty patients were treated with preoperative chemotherapy (two or more courses) in a randomized controlled study. The protocol was as follows : 1) CPA+ADM +VCR or CDDP+VP-16 therapy in 13 patients with small cell lung cancer. 2) CDDP+VDS or CDDP+VDS+MMC therapy in 17 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The postoperative complication rate was 73.3% (22 of 30). The major complication rate was 16.7% (5 of 30). The overall operative and hospital mortality rate was 6.7% (2 of 30). Many patients with small cell lung cancer had side effects from preoperative radiotherapy or cardiac toxicity induced by Adriamycin. Many patients with non-small cell lung cancer had complications following resection for advanced disease (Stage III) or renal toxicity induced by CDDP.All patients had prolonged water retention, and some had late postoperative complications.