RoboticAssisted (RATS) versus Video-Assisted (VATS) lobectomy: A monocentric prospective randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: The study aim is to compare Video-Assisted (VATS) and Robotic-Assisted (RATS) lobectomy in the effort to identify advantages and limits of robotic procedures considering the high costs and specific surgeon training. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a monocentric prospective randomized trial in which patients suitable for mini-invasive lobectomy were randomized 1:2 in two groups: Group A, RATS (25 patients), and Group B, VATS (50 patients). The two groups were compared in terms of perioperative and postoperative results with a mean follow up of 37.9 (±10.9) months. RESULTS: We observed a significant reduction of pleural effusion on day 1 (140 ml vs 214, p = 0.003) and day 2 (186 vs 321, p = 0.001) for group A. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) showed significantly lower pain in the 1st p.o. day in group A (0,92 vs 1,17, p = 0,005). Surgery time in Group B was significantly lower (160 min vs 180, p = 0.036), but had a higher onset of atrial fibrillation and other cardiac arrhythmias (0/25 vs 9/50, p = 0.038). The OS and DFS were similar between the two groups (95.5 % vs 93.1 %, and 95.5 % vs 89.7 %, respectively). Furthermore, no statistical difference in the evaluation of quality of life during follow-up was found. CONCLUSIONS: The RATS approach, although burdened by higher surgical costs, constitutes a valid alternative to VATS; as it determines a lower inflammatory insult, with a consequent reduction in pleural effusion, less post-operative pain and cardiological comorbidities for the patient, it can potentially determine the shortening in hospitalization. In addition, RATS allows accurate lymph node dissection, which permit to reach results that are not inferior to VATS in terms of long-term outcomes.

"HRCT predictors of GGO surgical resection: Histopathological and molecular correlation in the era of lung sparing surgery".

OBJECTIVES: Ground-glass pulmonary opacities (GGOs) are increasingly encountered in routine clinical practice and an accurate differentiation between benign and malignant lesions is crucial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between radiological features and the actual biological behavior of these nodules. The secondary endpoint is to identify any radiological predictors able to choose the type of surgical resection and the extent of lymphadenectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-center retrospective study included all patients, who underwent high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and surgical resection for GGOs between 2010 and 2020. Histopathological sampling focused on lesion size, histology, growth pattern, amount of lepidic component, percentage of ground-glass (GG), grade of tumor and proliferation index (Ki67). RESULTS: In 56 patients enrolled, 65 lesions (15 pure GG and 50 part-solid) were resected (44 lobectomies, 9 anatomical segmentectomies, 12 wedge resections). A direct significant correlation was found between: the GG at HRCT and the amount of lepidic component (p < 0.0001; R = 0.305), the tumor grading and the lepidic component at HRCT (p = 0.003), the percentage of GG and the expression of Ki67 (p = 0.016), the lepidic percentage and the expression of Ki67 (p = 0.004; R = 0.223). A total of 609 lymph-nodes were removed (stations N1 and N2) and histopathological analysis was negative for nodal involvement in all cases. CONCLUSION: Pure and part-solid GGOs could benefit from less invasive and lung sparing surgery with just nodal sampling. These would reduce surgical complications and guarantee a better quality of life for the patient. The major limitations are the number of patients and the lack of a longer follow-up.