To analyze the survival time, prognostic factors and the value of postoperative thoracic radiotherapy in resected small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients.

Clinic opathological data of SCLC patients who received surgical treatment in Cancer Hospital & General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from April 2014 to September 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients were subject to follow-up. The survival time of SCLC patients was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors were performed by Cox proportional hazard model.

A total of 64 patients with SCLC were enrolled in the study. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 43.5%. Univariate analysis showed that TNM staging (P=0.027), postoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (P=0.039) and adjuvant thoracic radiotherapy (P=0.041) were the prognostic factors. Multivariate analysis showed that TNM staging (P=0.038) and adjuvant thoracic radiotherapy (P=0.022) were the prognostic factors in patients with SCLC. The 5-year OS rates of patients with and without adjuvant thoracic radiotherapy were 71.6% and 35.4% (P=0.028), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the 5-year OS rates between pathological stage N₂ SCLC patients with or without adjuvant thoracic radiotherapy (75.0% vs. 0%, P=0.030).

TNM staging and postoperative adjuvant thoracic radiotherapy are prognostic factors in patients with SCLC undergoing surgical treatment. Pathological stage N₂ SCLC patients can benefit from adjuvant thoracic radiotherapy.

Small cell lung carcinoma; Surgical treatment; Prognostic factors; TNM staging; Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy