Aim of the study was to identify factors affecting survival in patients with lung cancer and satellite tumors (ST).

METHODS: Between 2001 and 2008, there were 102 patients with synchronous multiple lung cancers among the 1355 lung resections performed in lung cancer patients. Satellite tumors were found to be near the primary lung cancer (PLC) in 29 patients.

RESULTS: Complete resection was achieved in all patients, and the 5-year survival rate was 52 %. The independent "T" stages of the PLCs and STs did not affect survival ( P = 0.98 and P = 0.54, respectively). A distance between the PLC and ST longer or shorter than 2, 3, or 4 cm also did not affect survival ( P = 0.78, P = 0.57, and P = 0.62, respectively). The survival of patients treated with adjuvant therapy was significantly higher than that of patients who did not receive adjuvant therapy ( P = 0.0043).

CONCLUSIONS: Satisfactory survival was achieved after surgical therapy for non-small cell lung cancer associated with ST. While the PLC and ST characteristics and the distance between tumors did not affect survival rates, the introduction of adjuvant chemotherapy with/without radiotherapy positively affected survival.