[Treatment and prognosis of superior sulcus tumours]

Abstract

Superior sulcus tumours (or Pancoast tumours) are non-small-cell lung carcinomas presenting with specific symptoms and requiring a specific approach to treatment due to their location in the pulmonary apex. Early recognition is rare as a result of the low incidence and the relatively late occurrence of symptoms .Shoulder pain, with or without radiation to the ipsilateral arm or hand, and Horner's syndrome are often presenting symptoms. The current standard of care for patients with resectable tumours is pre-operative chemoradiotherapy, followed by resection of the tumour and affected surrounding structures. This is associated with 5-year survival rates of more than 50%. Invasion of local structures, the presence of mediastinal lymph node metastases and, in a select group of patients, distant metastasis, are not necessarily contra-indications for surgical resection. Patients who have undergone complete resection, or demonstrate a pathologically complete response after induction therapy, have significantly higher survival rates. Treatment of superior sulcus tumours requires a multidisciplinary approach; considering the complexity of the treatment, patients should be referred to a specialised centre.