Surgical Treatment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Patients on Hemodialysis due to Chronic Kidney Disease: Clinical Outcome and Intermediate-Term Results

Background: Patients on dialysis undergoing surgery belong to a high-risk group. Only a few studies have evaluated the outcome of major thoracic surgical procedures in dialysis patients. We evaluated the outcomes of pulmonary resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients on hemodialysis (HD). Methods: Between 2008 and 2013, seven patients on HD underwent pulmonary resection for NSCLC at our institution. We retrospectively reviewed their surgical outcomes and prognoses. Results: The median duration of HD before surgery was 55.0 months. Five patients underwent lobectomy and two patients underwent wedge resection. Postoperative morbidity occurred in three patients, including pulmonary edema combined with pneumonia, cerebral infarction, and delirium. There were no instances of in-hospital mortality, although one patient died of intracranial bleeding 15 days after discharge. During follow-up, three patients (one patient with pathologic stage IIB NSCLC and two patients with pathologic stage IIIA NSCLC) experienced recurrence and died as a result of the progression of the cancer, while the remaining three patients (with pathologic stage I NSCLC) are alive with no evidence of disease. Conclusion: Surgery for NSCLC in HD patients can be performed with acceptable perioperative morbidity. Good medium-term survival in patients with pathologic stage I NSCLC can also be expected. Pulmonary resection seems to be the proper treatment option for dialysis patients with stage I NSCLC.