Summary:
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The management of patients with Solitary Pulmonary Nodule is a
quite common yet complicated clinical problem. The goal is to identify and
treat all malignant nodules at an early curable stage. The purpose of this
study is to review the characteristics of the nodules, but also of the
patients, that are being subjected to surgical intervention.
METHODS: After reviewing the international literature on the subject, we
decided to perform a retrospective cohort study on patients with SPN, that
have been subjected to surgical excision for a single lesion, in our
institution, during the three-year period 2012 – 2014. Data was gathered from
archives of histological reports, archives of surgical operations and from the
patients’ medical files. Parameters like gender, age, type of excision, nature
of nodule, size, localization, histological type, were studied and for the
assessment of statistical significance, x2 test and student T test, have been
applied.
RESULTS: According to the data of the study, 187 patients, 125 men and 62
women, were subjected to surgical excision. 13,4%, of the whole, had benign and
86,6% malignant nodule (primary lung malignancy: 78,6%, metastatic: 8%). The
mean age of the patients were 63,4 years. 101 lobectomies, 1 bi-lobectomy, 8
segmentectomies, 70 wedge excisions and 7 “enucleations” of nodules, have been
performed via thoracotomy. The Mean of the maximum diameters of the nodules was
19,6 mm. (benign: 14,9mm, metastatic: 15,9mm, primary lung malignancy: 21mm,
the whole of malignant: 20,6mm). Applying, x2 test we found that the nature of
the nodule, presented statistically significant correlation with its size,
p=0,00008. Primary lung malignancies were located more commonly, on the right
(38%) and the left (23%), upper lobes. Histologically we found: adenocarcinoma:
57%, squamous cell carcinoma: 27%, LCNEC: 8,1%, carcinoids: 3,4% most common
metastasis, colorectal (80%) most common benign, granulomas (36%) and
hamartomas (28%). 94,5%, of NSCLC, were stage ΙΑ, while 5,5%, stage ΙΙΑ.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study, generally, come to verify findings from
previous studies and are in accordance with data from the international
literature on the subject.
