From a total of 869 patients primarily operated on for bronchogenic carcinoma, nine underwent a second operation for recurrence of the tumour. The median interval between the operations was 16 months. In four patients the second operation consisted of resection of ipsilateral residual lung after primary segmental resection or lobectomy. One patient underwent contralateral pneumonectomy after primary segmental resection. In the four remaining cases a contralateral lobectomy or segmental resection was performed after primary lobectomy. Four of the nine patients are still alive but, after a short observation time, only two are tumour-free. On the basis of these findings we cannot recommend reoperation for bronchogenic carcinoma, except in very rare, individually selected cases.