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>

Analysis of prognostic factors in 1826 patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of completely resected nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to assess the impact of vascular invasion and TNM stage on prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between March 1, 1997 and March 1, 2002, a total of 1826 pathologically confirmed NSCLC patients with complete resection were enrolled in this study. The major clinical and pathological features were analyzed, and the impact of vascular invasion on prognosis was investigated. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software. Fisher's exact test was used to assess the correlation of vascular invasion with the other clinicopathological variables. Survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 1826 patients, 126 were found to have vascular invasion. Univariate analysis revealed that the following factors was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival: family history of cancer, histological type, pathological stage and vascular invasion, whereas multivariate analysis confirmed that only pathological stage and vascular invasion were the significant prognostic factors with a hazard ratio of 2.80 [95% CI 1.74 - 4.86] and 4.76 [95% CI 2.38 - 6.21], respectively. The overall 5-year survival rate of this series was 57.4% for stage I, 34.2% for stage II and 18.7% for stage III (P = 0.001) ,respectively. It was 59.1% for stage I 36.2% for stage II and 20.0% for stage III for those without vascular invasion, whereas for those with vascular invasion, it was 37.5% for stage I, 24.0% for stage II and 7.0% for stage III, respectively. There was a significant difference among the patients with different TNM stage and between the patients with vascular invasion and without (P < 0.05) by log-rank test. The distant metastasis rate of the patients with vascular invasion was 69.9% versus 36.7% in those without (P < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our results show that TNM stage and vascular invasion are significant prognostic factors in nonsmall cell lung cancer. Vascular invasion can not only serve as an independent prognostic factor, but can also predict the possibility of metastasis.</p>

The risk factors and treatment of bronchopleural fistula after pneumonectomy / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the risk factors which influencing the development of bronchopleural fistula (BPF) in pulmonary resections for lung cancer. To clarify the preventive techniques and treatment strategies of BPF.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Review the clinical data of 32 patients of postpneumonectomy BPF from 965 patients accepted pneumonectomy for lung cancer from May 1987 to May 2007. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by the logistic regression procedure to identify the significant risk factors for BPF in 965 pulmonary resections for lung cancer.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prevalence of BPF was 3.3% (32/965). BPF occurred in the right main bronchial stump in 28 patients, left main bronchial stump in 4 patients. The significant risk factors for BPF formation were right pneumonectomy, preoperative irradiation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, bronchial stump more than 2 cm and hypoalbuminemia. Multivariate analysis identified right pneumonectomy, preoperative radiotherapy and hypoalbuminemia as the risk factors of BPF. Successful closure of BPF was achieved in 13 patients (40.6%). The fistula was successfully closed in 5 of 6 patients who had received biologic glues applied bronchoscopically with a fistula less than 3 mm. Pedicled omentum was successfully used for the treatment in 5 of 6 patients with a fistula more than 3 mm.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Right pneumonectomy, high-dose preoperative radiation therapy and hypoalbuminemia are risk factors for postpneumonectomy BPF. Biologic glues can be applied bronchoscopically to achieve endobronchial closure of the fistula less than 3 mm. Omentoplasty is useful for the fistula more than 3 mm.</p>

Comparison of clinical and surgico-pathological TNM stage of 2007 lung cancer patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>An accurate clinical TNM staging of lung cancer is essential for the precise determination of the extent of the disease in order that an optimal therapeutic strategy can be planned. This is especially true in patients with marginally resectable tumors. Clinical over-staging of the disease may deny a patient the benefit of surgery, whereas under-staging may oblige a patient to accept a fruitless or even harmful surgery. We aimed to analyze preoperative clinical (c-TNM) and postoperative surgico-pathologic staging (p-TNM) of lung cancer patients in order to evaluate the accuracy of our clinical staging and its implications on the surgical strategy for lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We did a retrospective comparison of c-TNM and p-TNM staging of 2007 patients with lung cancer surgically treated from January 1999 to May 2003. Preoperative evaluation and c-TNM staging of all patients were based on physical examination, laboratory studies, routine chest X-ray and CT scan of the chest and upper abdomen. Other examinations included sputum cytology, bronchoscopy, abdominal ultrasonography, bone scintiscan, brain CT/MRI, and mediastinoscopy whenever indicated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the present study the comparison of c-TNM and p-TNM staging of 2007 patients with lung cancer revealed an overall concurrence rate of only 39.0%. In the entire series the extent of disease was clinically underestimated in 45.2% and overestimated in 15.8% of the patients. Among all c-TNM stages the c-IA/B stage of 1105 patients gave the highest rate (55.2%) of underestimating the extent of disease. Clinical staging of T subsets was relatively easy with an overall accuracy rate of 72.9%, while that of N subsets was relatively more difficult with an overall accuracy rate of 53.5%. Analysis also showed that c-IV stage may not be an absolute contraindication to surgery, because in half of the patients, c-M1 turned out to be p-M0, providing the possibility of resectional surgery depending on the status of T and N.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>For reasons to be further determined, the present preoperative clinical TNM staging of lung cancer remains a crude evaluation. Further efforts to improve its accuracy are needed.</p>

Diagnosis and surgical treatment for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the results of surgery and the diagnosis of stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The survival of 274 stage I NSCLC patients who underwent surgery from 1991 to 1998 were statistically analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparison of the differences in survival rates among groups were made according to the Logrank test. The follow-up time was at least 5 years with a follow-up rate of 97.8%.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The overall 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates for patients with pathologic stage I lesion were 92.9%, 79.6% and 66.1%. The 5-year survival rates for patients with squamous-cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous and alveolar-cell carcinoma were 73.3%, 55.3%, 52.2%, 71.7%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates for T1N0 were 95.0%, 83.2%, 74.3% whereas those of T2N0 lung lesions were 90.8%, 75.9%, 59.9% (P < 0.05). The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates of regular lobectomy were 94.1%, 79.3%, 67.5% and of conservative resection (segmentectomy and wedge resection) were 76.5%, 50.0%, 38.3% (P < 0.05). There was no perioperative mortality. The postoperative complications were: intrathoracic hemorrhage (2 patients, successfully treated by second thoracotomy) and chylothorax (1 patient, healed after conservative treatment).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The 5-year survival rate of pathologic stage I non-small-cell lung cancer is 66.1%. The outcome of patients with squamous-cell carcinoma (73.3%) is similar to that of alveolar-cell carcinoma (71.7%) which, however, is better than that of adenocarcinoma (55.3%) or adenosquamouscarcinoma (52.5%). The overwhelming superiority in result of IA (T1N0) lesion (74.3%) over the IB (T2N0) disease (59.9%) is quite impressive. Regular lobectomy plus radical mediastinal lymph node dissection is the appropriate management for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.</p>