Objective: Distant metastasis after surgical resection is the most frequent cause of death in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to investigate the patterns of distant metastasis and the prognostic factors of postrecurrence survival in patients with resected stage I NSCLC with distant metastases.
Methods: The clinicopathological characteristics of 166 patients with distant metastases after complete resection of stage I NSCLC at Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 1980 and 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into two groups according to patterns of distant metastasis (single or multiple organ metastases). Predictors of postrecurrence survival were analysed.
Results: The patterns of distant metastasis included single organ metastasis in 106 (63.9%) and multiple organ metastases in 60 (36.1%) patients. The 1- and 2-year postrecurrence survival rates for those with single organ metastasis were 30.2% and 15.1%, respectively. The most common site of single organ metastasis was bone (32.1%), followed by the brain (29.2%). Multivariate analysis revealed that disease-free interval >16 months (HR 0.534; 95% CI 0.288 to 0.990; p=0.046) and treatment for distant metastasis (including re-operation, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) (HR 0.245; 95% CI 0.089 to 0.673; p=0.006) were significant predictors of better postrecurrence survival in resected stage I NSCLC with single organ metastasis.
Conclusions: A longer disease-free interval is a favourable prognostic predictor for postrecurrence survival in resected stage I NSCLC with single organ metastasis. Treatment for distant metastasis significantly prolongs postrecurrence survival.