Virginia medical quarterly : VMQ
-
Comparative Study
Stage I non-small cell cancer of the lung results of surgical resection at Fairfax Hospital.
Between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1989, 2003 patients were evaluated at Fairfax Hospital with a diagnosis of carcinoma of the lung. Of these, 214 with Stage I non-small cell carcinoma underwent surgical resection. Operative (30-day) mortality was 1.4%. ⋯ Noting stage was constant, when patients were analyzed by gender, age, cell type, tumor status and extent of resection, only age proved statistically significant relative to long-term survival. However, even patients 70 and older averaged a nearly 50% 5-year survival. Moreover, if deaths are related to cancer only, 5-year survival rates should be significantly increased over the rates when quoted to all causes of death.
-
There are upward pressures on the medical economy that we can do little to control. Among these are general inflationary factors, high technology costs, and care for a population ever increasing in age. ⋯ By changing those wrongs into rights we can preserve the best of our present system, including two American icons: fee-for-service and freedom-of-choice of physician. Let us not swap the devil for the witch.