Prognostic impact of underlying lung disease in pulmonary wedge resection for lung cancer

Background Pulmonary wedge resection is an option for lung cancer patients with limited cardiopulmonary preservation. As the impact of underlying lung status on the prognosis of such patients remains unclear, we assessed this issue. Methods A total of 149 borderline surgical candidates with localized lung cancer who had undergone wedge resection were retrospectively investigated. Clinical variables related to perioperative morbidity, local control rate, and oncological outcomes based on underlying lung disease were analyzed. Results According to the risk analysis of postoperative complications, underlying lung disease did not influence the surgical morbidity. Postoperative recurrence occurred in 65 patients (locoregional recurrence in 36, distant metastasis in 12, and both simultaneously in 17). Multivariate analysis revealed that emphysema on computed tomography (CT) [hazard ratio (HR) 0.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21–0.99] was an independent indicator of locoregional recurrence. Forty-four patients died of lung cancer and 29 of other causes. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that interstitial lung disease on CT (HR 1.98; 95% CI 1.01–3.89) was a predictor of poor prognosis. Conclusion Pulmonary wedge resection can be safely undergone by lung cancer patients regardless of pulmonary comorbidity, although underlying lung disease may influence the prognosis after wedge resection.