Research Article

Clinical significance of lymphatic vessel invasion in stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients

Published: March 13, 2015
Genet. Mol. Res. 14 (1) : 1819-1827 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4238/2015.March.13.10
Cite this Article:
K.F. Ma, X.Y. Chu, Y. Liu (2015). Clinical significance of lymphatic vessel invasion in stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients. Genet. Mol. Res. 14(1): 1819-1827. https://doi.org/10.4238/2015.March.13.10
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Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic influence of lymphatic vessel invasion (LVI) in stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. From January 2004 to December 2007, LVI was detected in 57 patients with T1N0M0 NSCLC; therefore, 114 patients with the same pathology, T stage, and surgery method, but without LVI, were selected as the control group to compare survival. The overall survival and relapse-free survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards analysis. The average follow-up length was 59.94 ± 23.1 months. The 5-year overall survival rates of the LVI-negative and the LVI-positive groups were 90.54 and 70.1%, respectively (P = 0.002). A multivariate analysis revealed LVI to be an independent predictive factor (hazard ratio = 4.562; P = 0.004). The 5-year overall survival rates for patients who received postoperative adjunctive therapy and those who did not in the LVI-positive group were 88.2 and 61.5%, respectively, with a P value less than 0.05 in both univariate and multivariate analyses. LVI is a poor prognostic factor in stage I NSCLC patients; postoperative adjunctive therapy is needed to improve the prognosis of NSCLC patients with LVI.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic influence of lymphatic vessel invasion (LVI) in stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. From January 2004 to December 2007, LVI was detected in 57 patients with T1N0M0 NSCLC; therefore, 114 patients with the same pathology, T stage, and surgery method, but without LVI, were selected as the control group to compare survival. The overall survival and relapse-free survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards analysis. The average follow-up length was 59.94 ± 23.1 months. The 5-year overall survival rates of the LVI-negative and the LVI-positive groups were 90.54 and 70.1%, respectively (P = 0.002). A multivariate analysis revealed LVI to be an independent predictive factor (hazard ratio = 4.562; P = 0.004). The 5-year overall survival rates for patients who received postoperative adjunctive therapy and those who did not in the LVI-positive group were 88.2 and 61.5%, respectively, with a P value less than 0.05 in both univariate and multivariate analyses. LVI is a poor prognostic factor in stage I NSCLC patients; postoperative adjunctive therapy is needed to improve the prognosis of NSCLC patients with LVI.

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