Background: As part of an evaluation of the lung cancer surgery at Akershus University hospital we wanted to describe the lung cancer surgery programme, assess 30-day mortality and review complications.
Material and method: We retrospectively examined medical records of all patients undergoing potentially curative surgery for non-small-cell lung cancer.
Results: The 99 patients operated on were aged 37-83 years (mean 63 years). 31% were women. 30-day mortality was 5% in total; 4% for lobectomy and 8% for pneumonectomy. No complication was recorded in 68% of the cases.
Interpretation: Age and gender distribution in the sample was in line with the experience of others. The results were in accordance with international recommendations, for example from the British Thoracic Society: 30-day mortality not in excess of 4% for lobectomy and 8% for pneumonectomy.