Methods: A retrospective analysis of 156 patients (146 males, 10 females; mean age 62.3±8.0 years; range 38 to 79 years) with non-small-cell lung cancer who underwent anatomical resection and mediastinal lymph node dissection between September 2009 and June 2013 was performed. The tumor volumes were calculated using histopathological data. The effect of tumor volume on prognosis and survival was investigated.

Results: Of the patients, 116 had Stage I disease and 40 patients had Stage II disease. The mean tumor volume was 38.2±54.6 (range, 356.15 to 0.01) cm3, and the mean largest diameter was 4.2±2.0 (range, 10 to 0.3) cm. In the Cox regression analysis, the tumor volume below the cut-off value (29.69 cm3) increased survival with an odds ratio (OR) of 2, and this value was statistically significant (p=0.022). The cut-off value per T factor was 4.5 cm and the OR was 1.7; however, no significant correlation with the survival was observed (p=0.058).

Conclusion: The present study found a closer correlation between the tumor volume and survival in contrast to the known correlation between the tumor’s largest diameter and survival. Based on our study results, it is recommended to calculate and consider the tumor volume along with the tumor diameter in the staging of lung cancer.