403 Patients with Lung Cancer Admitted to the 7 Local Community Hospitals in Tokyo

To evaluate the treatment of lung cancer in local community hospitals, we analyzed the result of 403 patients with lung cancer admitted to 7 hospitals in Tokyo between 1991 and 1993. The mean age was 70 and the clinical stage distribution was: stage I 28%, stage II 3%, stage IIIA 16%, stage IIIB 22%, and stage IV 28%. The advanced disease was in majority. Treatment of symptoms only was performed in 43% of the patients, and resection was performed in 34%. Excluding 2% of unknown cases, the reasons for detection of lung cancer were classified into 3 groups: symptoms (56%), mass survey (15%), cases on examinations for other diseases (27%). The percentages of clinical stage I+II cases in each group were 13%, 57%, and 56% respectively, with the group detected due to symptoms being significantly lower than others. The resection rates were 20%, 68%, 43% respectively, and with significant differences among the 3 groups. Forty percent of the patients detected by symptom had had regular medical consultation for chronic diseases. In local community hospitals, the diagnostic system should be organized by chest physicians, and when lung cancer is detected before symptoms develop, we can expect the better results of lung cancer treatment.