Background: A cohort of 51 consecutive patients with roentgenographically occult lung cancer, identified by sputum cytology and confirmed by bronchoscopy was reported previously.
Methods: All patients have now been followed beyond 5 years and the causes of death ascertained.
Results: The actual 5-year survival of 27 patients who were resected for cure was 74% including death for all causes. The 5-year survival of all patients who received either surgery or radiation in an attempt to cure was 54.3%. Twelve secondary cancers were found by sputum cytology; eight of these patients have died.
Conclusions: Sputum cytology can be useful in the identification of early stage lung cancer in patients at high-risk where the chances of cure are favorable.