Background. Current guidelines do not routinely recommend adjuvant therapy for resected stage I large cell lung neuroendocrine cancer (LCNEC). However, data regarding the role of adjuvant therapy in early LCNEC are limited. This National Cancer Database (NCDB) analysis was performed to improve the evidence guiding adjuvant therapy for early LCNEC.Methods. Overall survival (OS) of patients with pathologic T1-2a N0 M0 LCNEC who underwent resection in the NCDB from 2003 to 2015 was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses. Patients who died within 30 days of surgery and with more than R0 resection were excluded.Results. Of 2642 patients meeting study criteria, 481 (18%) received adjuvant therapy.
Introduction: There are limited small, single-institution observational studies examining the role of surgery in large cell neuroendocrine cancer (LCNEC). We investigated the outcomes of surgery for stage I to IIIA LCNEC by using the National Cancer Database. Methods: Patients with stage I to IIIA LCNEC were identified in the National Cancer Database (2004-2015) and grouped by treatment: definitive chemoradiation versus surgery. Overall survival, by stage, was the primary outcome. Outcomes of surgical patients were also compared with those of patients with SCLC or other non-small cell histotypes. Results: A total of 6092 patients met the criteria: 96%, 94%, 75%, and 62% of patients received an operation for stage I, II, IIIA, and cN2 disease, respectively. Complete resection was achieved in at least 85% of patients. The 5year survival rates for patients undergoing an operation for stage I and II LCNEC were 50% and 45%, respectively. Surgical patients with stage IIIA and N2 disease had 36% and 32% 5-year survival rates, respectively. When compared with stereotactic body radiation in stage I disease and chemoradiation in patients with stage II to IIIA disease, surgery was associated with a survival benefit. Patients with LCNEC who underwent an operation generally experienced worse survival by stage than did those with adenocarcinoma but experienced improved survival compared with patients with SCLC. Perioperative chemotherapy was associated with improved survival for pathologic stage II to IIIA disease. Conclusions: Surgery is associated with reasonable outcomes for stage I to IIA LCNEC, although survival is generally worse than for adenocarcinoma. Surgery should be offered to medically fit patients with both early and locally advanced LCNEC, with guideline-concordant induction or adjuvant therapy.
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