Postoperative course in 7 cases of primary sarcoma of the lung

Unlike lung metastases of extrapulmonary sarcomas, primary sarcoma of the lung is very rare. We analyzed 7 primary sarcomas treated surgically in Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain between 1985 and 2001. Preoperative histologic diagnosis was correct for 2 patients. Surgery was performed in all 7 patients. Resection was extended to the left atrium in 1 patient, to the chest wall in another, and the parietal pleura were removed from 2 others. Surgical resection was considered complete in 6 cases. Histology revealed 4 cases of malignant fibrous histiocytoma, 1 angiosarcoma, 1 osteogenic sarcoma, and 1 undifferentiated sarcoma. Enlarged lymph nodes removed during surgery were tumor free. Three patients received complementary treatment. The 3 longest-surviving patients were treated with surgery alone; at the end of the study, these patients remained alive 16, 9, and 4 years after surgery. One patient has a recurrent lymph node tumor in a single lung. Three patients died within 1 year and another died 24 months after surgery. In conclusion, surgical treatment of primary sarcoma of the lung can achieve good survival.