PURPOSE: To establish the most effective methods of postoperative surveillance to detect early recurrence of lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: The subjects of this retrospective study were 485 patients with p-stage I-III lung adenocarcinoma, who underwent postoperative surveillance. We examined the sites and detection modes of recurrence and calculated the recurrence-free probabilities. Patients with stage I disease were divided into low- and high-risk recurrence groups using a risk score calculated by assigning points proportional to risk factor regression coefficients. RESULTS: Of the 112 patients with recurrence, 86 had intrathoracic recurrence. Routine computed tomography (CT) revealed recurrence in 60 patients. The recurrence-free probability curves showed that 95% of recurrences were identified within the first 4 years after resection in patients with stage II/III disease. In patients with stage I disease, the predictors of recurrence included male sex, positive pleural lavage cytology, moderate-to-poor differentiation, and visceral pleural invasion. Postoperative recurrences were detected throughout the follow-up period in the high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: Routine chest CT plays an important role in the postoperative surveillance of lung adenocarcinoma. We recommend intensive follow-up during the early post-resection period for patients with advanced stage disease and long-term follow-up for high-risk patients with stage I disease.