Lung cancer resectability in urban Blacks

Two hundred and eighty-one patients with carcinoma of the lung were seen over a period of 30 months in our unit. All patients were investigated and staged according to the system of the American Joint Committee for Cancer Staging. Patients with stage I or stage II disease were operated upon, but those with stage III disease or with a pre-operative diagnosis of small cell tumour were not considered for surgery. Of the 281 patients evaluated, 83 (29.5%) underwent thoracotomy and 55 (19.6%) resection.