Lung cancer staging and treatment in multidisciplinary trials: cancer and leukemia group B cooperative group approach

Background. Aggressive routine surgical staging is necessary to evaluate patients to be treated on cooperative oncology protocols. Less than 1% of lung cancer patients in the United States are currently being treated in a clinical trial. Only with results from large, prospective trials can the questions of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy be answered. Methods. An outline describing the schema of preoperative patient evaluation, surgical staging, and the definition of surgical staging and resection procedures appropriate for patients considered for cooperative group protocol is presented. Current Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) protocols are used in the discussion as examples of this systematic approach. Conclusions. Over the next few years, it will be important to enter the maximum number of patients into combined modality studies to identify the role of neoadjuvant treatment in lung cancer. Entry of patients into protocols will also make their pathological specimens and clinical information available for basic science research related to treatment results. Adherence to a logical sequence of patient evaluation as outlined above will optimize patient care, as well as accrual to cooperative group studies.