RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Even after radical resection, the rate of recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer remains high. AIM: To identify the profile of patients operated for lung cancer and to study the prognostic factors of tumor recurrence. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study including 67 cases of lung cancer with curative surgery, hospitalized between 2010 and 2016. RESULTS: The mean age was 61 years. The sex ratio was 21. The average time to diagnosis was 22 days. The average time to start treatment was 10 days. The most common histological type was adenocarcinoma (63%). Lobectomy was performed in 63% of the patients. Tumor recurrence was noted in 40% of the patients. The average time between recurrence and the surgical treatment was 12 months. The most common location of recurrence was the lung (70%). Recurrence was more common among adenocarcinoma and smokers older than 60 years. The majority of locally advanced and metastatic cancers have recurred. The average survival was 56 ± 4months. Better survival rates were observed in young patients, with less than 25 pack-years of early-stage, no lymph node involvement, and patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. The probability of survival was 5 years for all tumor stages. CONCLUSION: The prognostic factors for recurrence after radical resection for lung cancer were: the age of patients, smoking history, histological type, tumor stage, and surgical procedure.