Objectives: Our registration of surgically treated lung cancer patients in Niigata Prefecture began in 2001. The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of patients and surgical treatment of lung cancer. Methods: All patients who underwent resection for lung cancer in Niigata Prefecture from January 2001 to December 2002 were eligible for registration. A total of 31 medical data for each patient were registered. Results: During the 2-year period, 1,211 patients were registered. A total of 605 cases (50%) were detected by mass screening, and 874 cases (72%) were diagnosed preoperatively. There were 718 (59%) c-stage IA cases and 317 (26%) c-stage IB cases. The most common operative procedure was lobectomy
850 patients underwent single lobectomy. Limited resection was performed in 301 patients (25%), and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in 193 (16%). The most common histological type was adenocarcinoma in 860 cases (71%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma in 273 (23%). Pathologic staging yielded stage IA in 635 cases (52%) and stage IB in 262 (22%). Conclusions: The results of our registration demonstrate a very high ratio of surgically treated stage IA cases in Niigata Prefecture and that limited resection was performed in many patients. Accumulation of these data will reveal the characteristics of lung cancer surgically treated in Niigata Prefecture and will provide a basis for determining the future course of surgical treatment for lung cancer. Registration is continuing, and it will provide new and useful information about lung cancer, eventually including 5-year survival data.