Long Term Outcomes beyond Five Years after Pulmonary Resection for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

A significant number of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients experience recurrence in five years after surgery. However, a small portion of patients developed late recurrence (LR) thereafter. Furthermore, higher incidence of the late metachronous malignancies including lung cancer is suggested. The efficacies of long-term follow-up and candidates for them have not been understood well after NSCLC resection. We investigated the incidence of LR beyond 5 years after pulmonary resection, and aimed to identify candidates for long-term surveillance.