Original article: general thoracicQuality of life after tailored combined surgery for stage I non–small-cell lung cancer and severe emphysema
Section snippets
Material and methods
Between October 1995 and December 2002, out of 148 lung volume reductions performed at our institution, 16 patients had a combined resection of emphysema and NSCLC. Of these, 11 were referred for the suspicion of lung cancer, while in 5 patients the tumor was incidentally discovered during preoperative workup for LVR. In all instances, a rigorous preoperative assessment was carried out including digital chest roentgenogram, total body spiral computed tomography (CT), postbronchodilator
Results
Mean age was 65 ± 5 years. All patients fulfilled standard inclusion criteria for LVR. In particular, all patients had emphysema graded as severe and diffuse with disabling symptoms despite maximized medical therapy, while no patient had isolated giant bullous emphysema.
Among 9 patients who were on long-term oxygen therapy, 6 had only nocturnal oxygen therapy and 3 had continuous oxygen therapy. Internal consistency of the SF-36 questionnaire at baseline and 6 months was satisfactory (0.80 to
Comment
The World Health Organization defines HRQOL as an individual perception of their position in life in the context of the cultural and value system in which they live, and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns. Yet, measuring HRQOL has been addressed to a multidimensional subjective assessment of feelings and wellness and satisfaction, as well as perceptions of impairments and problems [18].
Patients with severe emphysema experience negative changes in mood and social
Acknowledgements
This study was supported partially by the Ministero dell'Universitá e della Ricerca (MIVR) (Grant COFIN #9906274194-06 and 2001061131-001); by the Cousiglio Nazionale delle Richerche (Single Project 2002 CNR CU0100935CT26), and by the Progetto Ministero dells Salute-Regione Lazio 2002.
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