Improved Survival of Stage I Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: A VA Central Cancer Registry Analysis

The combined impact of advances in diagnosis and treatment of stage I NSCLC has not been assessed comprehensively. To define the survival impact of modern staging and treatment techniques for clinical stage I NSCLC, the Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry, a database of U.S. veterans in whom the disease was diagnosed in the Veteran’s Health Administration, was queried. From this database, patients who had stage I NSCLC diagnosed from 2001 to 2010 and were treated with either surgery or radiation were identified.