The Significance of Bronchiectasis Complicating Lung Cancer

¹ The Surgical Department, University of Amsterdam and the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Amsterdam

The number of cases of common bronchiectasis needing surgical treatment is decreasing greatly nowadays. Infected bronchiectasis distal to a malignant bronchial tumor may cause severe symptoms to the patient, but as such, does not constitute a contraindication to thoracotomy. Neither is the presence of pleural effusion, as found before the operation a contraindication, resection being possible in nearly half of the cases with good results.

The only reason not to operate on a patient with lung cancer is proved inoperability for technical reasons or proved spread outside the lung. Fever, impression of illness or bad general condition is by no means in most cases caused by the tumor itself, but more often by the infection distal to the tumor and that is no reason to refuse operation.