[Small cell lung cancer and long-term survival: our experience in VGH-Taipei from 1971 to 1985].

We diagnosed 627 cases of SCLC from 1971 to 1985 in VGH-Taipei. Sixty-nine cases received no treatment, while 558 cases received treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical intervention or combined modality. The median survival time of the treated group and untreated group was 6 and 1 months respectively (p less than 0.001). Female sex was a positive prognostic factor (p less than 0.05) and median survival time of female and male were 7 and 5 months respectively. Age (older or younger than 65 y/o) was not a significant prognostic factor in our series (p = 0.13). Thirteen cases (2.33%) of patients in the treated group survived longer than 5 years. Among them, 11 cases were limited disease and 2 cases were extensive disease. The characteristics of these 13 patients were analysed to find them in relatively good performance status, less body weight loss, less biochemical abnormality and more limited disease. In them, no secondary tumor was noted during the follow-up period.