RESUMEN

Objective To investigate the surgical treatment and prognosis of bronchial mucoepidermoid cancer. Methods During a 17-year-period, 19 consecutive patients underwent surgery for bronchial mucoepidermoid cancer, and the surgical treatment and prognosis were analyzed retrospectively. Results Among them, 13 cases were treated by lobectomy, 5 by pneumonectomy, and 1 by exploratory thoracotomy. Four cases were proved pathologically to be high malignancy and 15 low malignancy. All patients were followed up postoperatively for about 68.26 months on average. The 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates were 94.44%, 80.00%, and 70.00% respectively. In the low malignancy group, the 1, 3, 5-year survival rates were 100%; in the high malignancy group, the 1-year survival rate was 33.33%, and 3-year survival rate was 0. Conclusion Patients with low malignant grade of cancers can be cured after complete resection, and those with high malignant grade predispose to metastasis and hence result in a poor prognosis.