Ten-year follow-up of lung cancer patients with resected adenocarcinoma in situ or minimally invasive adenocarcinoma: Wedge resection is curative

Objective This study aimed to reveal the long-term outcomes of patients with lung cancer with adenocarcinoma in situ or minimally invasive adenocarcinoma after resection, in the context of the different surgical resection types. Methods Patients with lung adenocarcinoma who underwent resection between December 2007 and December 2012 were reviewed. Patients with pathological adenocarcinoma in situ or minimally invasive adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Postoperative survival and risk of developing second primary lung cancer were analyzed. Results After reevaluating the histological findings of 1696 patients with lung adenocarcinoma, we enrolled 53 with adenocarcinoma in situ and 72 with minimally invasive adenocarcinoma for analyses. Of all 125 patients with adenocarcinoma in situ/minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, 86 (68.8%) were female, 114 (91.2%) were nonsmokers, and most of them (78, 62.4%) underwent wedge resection. The median follow-up period after surgery was 111 months. The 10-year recurrence-free survivals of adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma were all 100%, and the 10-year overall survivals of adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma were 98.1% and 97.2%, respectively. There was no difference in 10-year recurrence-free survival between patients who underwent lobectomy and wedge resection. EGFR mutations were detected in 63.1% (41/65) of patients who underwent mutational analysis. The risks of developing second primary lung cancer for adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma 10 years after resection were 8.4% and 4.3% (P = .298), respectively, and were not correlated with EGFR mutation status (P = .525). Conclusions Pathological adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma have no recurrence during 10-year follow-up after resection, regardless of surgical procedure types. Surgery is curative for these patients, and wedge resection is the preferred surgical procedure for nodules in the proper location.