The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 43, 164-167, Copyright © 1987 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser in lung cancer
AF Gelb and JD Epstein
Neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatments were performed in 70
patients aged 62 +/- 10 (1 SD) years for incomplete malignancy-induced
obstruction of the trachea or main bronchi, or both, associated with
uncontrolled cough, dyspnea, atelectasis/pneumonia, and hemoptysis.
Forty-three patients had been treated with surgical techniques,
chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, or all three, while 27 patients were
untreated before laser therapy because of acute respiratory distress. Laser
treatment produced palliative improvement in 81% of the treated group (35
of 43), with survival of 4.3 +/- 3.9 months. Unsuccessfully laser-treated
patients survived 0.7 +/- 0.4 month (p less than .05). Eighty-five percent
of the untreated patients (23 of 27) showed postlaser improvement, with
survival of 8.5 +/- 6.9 months. Unsuccessfully laser-treated patients
survived 1.4 +/- 0.6 months (p less than .05). Twenty-three of the 27
previously untreated patients underwent radiation therapy after laser
treatment. Laser treatments also were administered to 23 patients aged 61
+/- 13 years with complete obstruction of the main bronchi. Of this group,
17 patients had been treated and 6 had not been treated before the laser
therapy. Laser treatment was successful in 47% of the treated patients (8
of 17), but there was no difference (p greater than .05) in survival
between successfully and unsuccessfully treated patients (3.0 +/- 2.5 vs.
2.9 +/- 4.6 months). Similarly, laser treatment was successful in 50% of
the untreated patients (3 of 6), and there was also no difference (p
greater than .05) in survival between successfully and unsuccessfully
treated patients (3.4 +/- 3.5 vs. 3.5 +/- 2.8 months).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED
AT 250 WORDS)
