Survival significance of coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with early lung cancer after curative surgery

Background: The impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity on survival after curative resection of early-stage lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been sufficiently elucidated.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 250 consecutive patients who underwent lobectomy with lymph nodal dissection for pathological stage I-II NSCLC.

Results: Among the COPD patients, 28 were classified as Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 1, 21 as GOLD 2, and one as GOLD 3. The cumulative overall survival (OS) of the non-COPD, GOLD 1, and GOLD 2-3 groups at five years was 90.7%, 85.7%, and 55.3%, respectively, (P < 0.0001), while recurrence-free survival (RFS) between the groups at five years was 84.7%, 80.7%, and 72.9%, respectively. Although RFS in the GOLD 2-3 group tended to indicate a poor prognosis, there was no statistical difference between the groups (P = 0.385). In multivariate analysis, age ≥75 years, pN1, and GOLD 2-3 COPD were independent factors for a poor prognosis (P = 0.034, P = 0.010, and P = 0.030, respectively).

Conclusions: Our results indicate that early stage NSCLC patients with COPD had a significantly increased risk of poorer OS and potentially an increased risk of poor RFS.