What is the rate of recurrence after successful lung cancer surgery?

Depends on stage: Recurrence rates are dependent on the stage of lung cancer that a patient is having surgery for. Stage i lung cancer has low recurrence rates, stage II less than III and III the highest. Most recurrences happen in the first 3 years after surgery. Therefore a patient should be in a radiographic surveillance program after surgery. A tumor found after 5 years is probably a brand new lung cancer.

Too high: For comfort! rates apply to groups. Even 1 node positive drops the cure rate below 50-60%. The finer you select for smaller lesions and squamous histology, the rate may be as high as 80%. We have worked to select the best treatment and better treatment ffor years, but the ace of progress is slow. This is why we urge never starting to smoke, and stopping now if you do.