Surgical outcomes of pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma: A review of 41 cases

PLoS One. 2017 May 2;12(5):e0176918. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176918. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Introduction: Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a rare cancer that occurs primarily in younger patients. The prognostic factors of pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma are largely undetermined, especially in elderly patients. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors influencing survival after surgical resection in patients with pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma and also analyze the clinical manifestations and prognostic factors in elderly patients.

Materials and methods: The pathological records of 41 pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma patients (mean age, 61.4 years) who underwent surgical resection at our hospital between January 1991 and July 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Subjects >65 years of age (n = 22) were considered elderly.

Results: The median follow-up duration was 42.9 (interquartile range, 15.0-120.8) months. Sixteen patients (39.0%) experienced tumor relapse, including 13 patients (81.3%) within 2 years. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 57.9%. Tumor grade did not influence disease-free survival (P = 0.286). In the multivariate analysis, age, tumor size, pathological T3-4 status, and pathological N2 status were independent predictors of disease-free survival. The 5-year overall survival rate was 57.0%. Tumor grade also did not influence overall survival (P = 0.170). Age, tumor size, pathological T status, and pathological N2 status were independent predictors of overall survival. In elderly patients, the 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 41.4% and 41.5%, respectively. Pathological T status was the only independent predictor of both disease-free survival and overall survival in elderly patients.

Conclusions: Prognostic factors identified for pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma in this study differ from those of previous studies. Principally, tumor grade did not influence either disease-free survival or overall survival. Age, tumor size, and pathological factors were independent predictors of disease-free survival and overall survival. In elderly patients, pathological T status was the only independent predictor of disease-free survival and overall survival.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / surgery*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Neoplasm Grading
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  • Prognosis
  • Prospective Studies
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Survival Analysis
  • Tumor Burden
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

Shih-Wei Lin is grateful to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of China (Taiwan), and the Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for financially supporting this study with research grants MOST105-2410-H-182-009-MY2, MOST105-2632-H-182-001 and BMRPA19, CMRPD3G0011, respectively. Chih-Cheng Hsieh was supported by Veterans General Hospital and University System of Taiwan Joint Research Program (VGHUST 106-G7-7-1). Yung-Han Sun was supported by Taipei Veterans General Hospital Research Program (V104A-041). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.