Comparison of the short-term outcomes of surgical treatment for non-small cell lung cancer via video assisted thoracoscopic surgery and open thoracotomy / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the short-term outcomes of surgical treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and open thoracotomy (OT).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Data of 737 consecutive NSCLC patients who underwent surgical treatment for non-small cell lung cancer by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and 630 patients who underwent pulmonary resection via open thoracotomy (as controls) in Cancer Institute & Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2009 and August 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The risk factors after lobectomy were also analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the 506 NSCLC patients who received VATS lobectomy, postoperative complications occurred in 13 patients (2.6%) and one patient died of acute respiratory distress syndrome (0.2%). In the 521 patients who received open thoracotomy (OT) lobectomy, postoperative complications occurred in 21 patients (4.0%) and one patient died of pulmonary infection (0.2%). There was no significant difference in the morbidity rate (P > 0.05) and mortality rate (P > 0.05) between the VATS group and OT group. In the 190 patients who received VATS wedge resections, postoperative complications occurred in 3 patients (1.6%). One hundred and nine patients received OT wedge resections. Postoperative complications occurred in 4 patients (3.7%). There were no significant differences for morbidity rate (P = 0.262) between these two groups, and there was no perioperative death in these two groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that age (OR = 1.047, 95%CI: 1.004 - 1.091), history of smoking (OR = 6.374, 95%CI: 2.588 - 15.695) and operation time (OR = 1.418, 95%CI: 1.075 - 1.871) were independent risk factors of postoperative complications.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>To compare with the NSCLC patients who should undergo lobectomy or wedge resection via open thoracotomy, a similar short-term outcome can be achieved via VATS approach.</p>

Surgical treatment and prognostic analysis of 109 patients with primary esophageal small cell carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Since the principles of treatment of primary esophageal small cell carcinoma (PESCC) remain still in controversy, the aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment modalities and prognostic factors of this malignancy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 109 patients treated by surgery in our hospital between October 1989 and April 2009 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. According to the most recently published TNM staging system for esophageal cancer (AJCC 2009), there were 17 patients in stage Ib, 31 patients in stage II, 59 patients in stage III, and 2 patients in stage IV. All the data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0 software. The median survival time (MST) and overall survival rate (OS) were calculated and compared by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. The prognostic factors were calculated by Cox hazard regression model.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among all the 109 patients included, 93 patients were treated by radical esophagectomy, and 11 patients by palliative resection, while 5 patients by exploration. The median survival time (MST) of the whole group was 14.4 months and the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates (OS) were 56.9%, 17.6%, and 12.0%, respectively. The median survival time (MST) and 5-year overall survival rates (OS) were 18.5 months and 21.4% for pathological N0 cases, 23.5 months and 24.0% for N1 cases, 8.5 months and 0% for N2 cases, and 10.5 months and 0% for N3 cases, respectively (P < 0.001). The MST and 1-, 3- and 5-year OS of patients treated with postoperative chemotherapy were 17.0 months, 60.7%, 19.8%, and 13.0%, respectively, statistically significantly longer than the 7.0 months, 28.5%, 8.9% and 8.9%, respectively, of the patients without chemotherapy (P = 0.005). The pathological N stage and postoperative chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors by Cox multivariate analysis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Primary esophageal small cell carcinoma is an aggressive systemic disease, characterized by early and wide dissemination of lymph nodes and poor prognosis while treated with surgery or chemotherapy alone. Multimodality treatment based on radical esophagectomy should be recommended for patients in pathological stage I and II.</p>

Clinical manifestation and prognosis of the surgical treatment of esophageal carcinosarcoma / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of esophageal carcinosarcoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of patients treated by surgery and pathologically diagnosed as esophageal carcinosarcoma between January 1967 and December 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 28 male and 4 female patients aged from 39 to 76 years with a median age of 58 years. All the data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0 software. The overall survival rates were calculated and compared with the Kaplan-Meier method and the Log-rank test. The prognostic factors were identified by Cox hazard regression model.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among all the 32 patients included, 29 patients were polypoid type, 2 patients were fungoid type and 1 patient were medullary type. With regard to the depth of tumor infiltration, 17 patients involved the mucosa or submucosa (pT1), 13 patients involved the muscularis propria (pT2), 2 patients involved the adventitia (pT3). The involvement of local lymph nodes was present in 10 patients, with an incidence of 31.3%, including metastatic carcinoma alone in 7 patients and both carcinomatous and sarcomatous components in 3 patients. According to the most recently published international TNM staging system for esophageal carcinoma (AJCC 2009), 15 patients were in stage I, 13 patients in stage II, 4 patients in stage III. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates of the whole group were 90.0%, 72.1% and 57.0%, respectively. Both in single-factor prognostic analysis and in Cox multivariate analysis, pathological N stage was the only prognostic factor (RR = 2.531, 95%CI: 1.055 - 6.070).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Esophageal carcinosarcoma is consisted of both sarcomatous component and carcinomatous component, while the latter one appears more frequently in local lymph node metastasis. In multivariate prognostic analysis, pathological N stage is the only independent prognostic factor. Curative resection of this tumor may achieve good prognosis because of its' lower incidence of lymph node metastasis and less invasive tendency.</p>