Differential Outcomes of VATS and Open Surgery in Lung Cancer Patients with Antecedent Oncological Diagnoses.

Primary lung cancer is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality rates. Patients with a previous oncological history may present with multiple comorbidities, unique clinical features, and unique outcomes after surgical intervention for primary lung cancer. This study aimed to compare the clinical features and outcomes of patients with a previous oncological history who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) or open surgery (OS) for primary lung cancer. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 84 patients with a previous oncological history who underwent surgical intervention for primary lung cancer between January 2018 and January 2023. Among them, 55 patients underwent VATS, while 29 patients underwent OS. Demographic and clinical characteristics, perioperative variables, and postoperative outcomes of the two surgical groups were collected and compared. Most of the 84 patients were women (58.4%) with a high smoking prevalence (44.1%) and a median of 32.3 packs-year. The patients' histories were most predominant for gynecologic cancers (44.4%) and colorectal cancers (18.6%). The results showed that the VATS group had a significantly shorter median hospital stay than the OS group (6.0 days vs. 12.0 days, p-value < 0.001). Additionally, the VATS group had lower incidences of air leaks 24 h post-surgery (12.7% vs. 48.3%, p-value < 0.001) and intractable pain (3.6% vs. 17.2%, p-value = 0.031), as well as significantly lower operative times (270 min vs. 350 min, p-value = 0.046). However, there were no significant differences between the VATS and OS groups in overall survival (log-rank p-value = 0.447). Furthermore, although the 3-month survival was significantly higher in the VATS group (98.2% vs. 79.3%, p-value = 0.003), only one patient from the VATS group (1.8%) and two patients from the OS group (6.9%) were still alive five years after the intervention. In conclusion, VATS is a safe and effective surgical option for patients with a previous oncological history who require surgical intervention for primary lung cancer, with shorter operative times, shorter hospital stays, and lower rates of complications compared to those of OS patients, without compromising oncological outcomes. Nevertheless, both surgical options failed to improve the 5-year survival rate, probably due to the high prevalence of comorbidities and the burden of previous cancer in this population.

A Retrospective Analysis Comparing VATS Cost Discrepancies and Outcomes in Primary Lung Cancer vs. Second Primary Lung Cancer Patients.

This study aimed to compare the outcomes and cost differences between primary lung cancer (PLC) and second primary lung cancer (SPLC) patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). This was a retrospective analysis of 124 patients with lung cancer stages I, II, and III who underwent VATS between January 2018 and January 2023. The patients were divided into two groups based on their cancer status that was matched by age and gender: the PLC group (n = 62) and the SPLC group (n = 62). The results showed that there was no significant difference in the clinical characteristics between the 2 groups, except for the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), with a score above 3 in 62.9% of PLC patients and 80.6% among SPLC patients (p = 0.028). Regarding the surgical outcomes, the operative time for the VATS intervention was significantly higher in the SPLC group, with a median of 300 min, compared with 260 min in the PLC group (p = 0.001), varying by the cancer staging as well. The average duration of hospitalization was significantly longer before and after surgery among patients with SPLC (6.1 days after surgery), compared with 4.2 days after surgery in the PLC group (0.006). Regarding the cost analysis, the total hospitalization cost was significantly higher in the SPLC group (15,400 RON vs. 12,800 RON; p = 0.007). Lastly, there was a significant difference in the survival probability between the two patient groups (log-rank p-value = 0.038). The 2-year survival was 41.9% among PLC patients and only 24.2% among those with SPLC. At the 5-year follow-up, there were only 1.6% survivors in the SPLC group, compared with 11.3% in the PLC group (p-value = 0.028). In conclusion, this study found that VATS is a safe and effective surgical approach for both PLC and SPLC patients. However, SPLC patients have a higher VATS operating time and require more healthcare resources than PLC patients, resulting in higher hospitalization costs. These findings suggest that careful pre-operative evaluation and individualized surgical planning are necessary to optimize the outcomes and cost-effectiveness of VATS for lung cancer patients. Nevertheless, the 5-year survival remains very low and concerning.

Oncologic Outcome after Pulmonary Metastasectomy as Part of Multidisciplinary Treatment in a Tertiary Oncological Center.

(1) Background: Pulmonary metastases are encountered in approximately one-third of patients with malignancies, especially from colorectal, lung, breast, and renal cancers, and sarcomas. Pulmonary metastasectomy is the ablative approach of choice, when possible, as part of the multidisciplinary effort to integrate and personalize the oncological treatment. (2) Methods: The study includes 58 consecutive cases of pulmonary metastasectomies, retrospectively analyzed, performed in 12 consecutive months, in which the pathology reports confirmed lung metastases. (3) Results: Most frequent pathological types of metastases were: 14 of colorectal cancer, 10 breast, 8 lung, and 8 sarcomas. At the time of primary cancer diagnosis, 14 patients (24.14%) were in the metastatic stage. The surgical approach was minimally invasive through uniportal VATS (Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery) in 3/4 of cases (43 patients, 74%). Almost 20% of resections were typical (lobectomy, segmentectomy). Lymphadenectomy was associated in almost 1/2 of patients and lymph node metastases were found in 11.11% of cases. The mortality rate (intraoperative and 90 days postoperative) is zero. The OS after pulmonary metastasectomy is 87% at 18 months, and the estimated OS for cancer is 90% at 5 years. The worst outcome presents the patients with sarcomas and the best outcome-colorectal and lung cancer. The patients with 1 or 2 resected metastases presented 96% survival at 24 months. (4) Conclusions: After pulmonary metastasectomy, survival is favored by the small number of metastases resected (1 or 2), and by the dimension of metastases under 20.5 mm. The non-anatomic (wedge) type of lung resection may present a lower risk of death compared to lobectomy. No statistical significance on survival has the presence of lymphadenectomy, the laterality right/left lung, the upper/lower lobes. In the future, longer follow-up and prospective randomized trials are needed for drawing definitive conclusions.

Malignant Extramucosal Esophageal Tumor - Yolk Sac Tumor - Case Report.

Malignant extramucosal esophageal tumors are rare. We publish a case of an extramucosal esophageal tumor which turned out to be a yolk sac tumor. This type of tumor is extremely rare. We present the initial and also late management of this case (from the diagnostic to the management of the late complications). The patient was admitted for dysphagia. Contrast thoraco-abdominal CT scan revealed an important retrocardiac mass; echoendoscopy with biopsy confirmed one malignant extra-mucosal esophageal tumor. We performed an esophagectomy through triple approaches (McKeown) â?" right thoracotomy, laparotomy, and left cervicotomy for anastomosis. The pathological report raised the suspicion of a mediastinal tumor with germ cells or a poorly differentiated carcinoma. The immunohistochemistry tests confirmed a yolk sac tumor. The patient was referred to the oncologist and was treated with etoposide and cisplatin chemotherapy. Subsequently, the patient developed respiratory failure secondary to giant hiatal hernia which was surgically treated via laparoscopy.

Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery - Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery: Technique and Indications.

Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) is already practised worldwide, in almost every condition addressed by open thoracic surgery. As part of minimally invasive thoracic surgery (MITS), VATS offers to patients and to healthcare providers excellent results and great satisfactions. Learning and performing VATS use different pathways in trainees and in experienced surgeons. This article presents VATS in its essence: classification, indications, contraindications, instruments and tools, incisions and access, troubleshooting, learning curve and training. We wish that the information helps our colleagues, both trainees and experienced thoracic surgeons, to start and continue performing VATS as standard care in thoracic surgery.

Immediate Postoperative Results in the Surgical Treatment of Neoplastic Pericarditis - 76 Consecutive Cases.

Introduction: Pericardial effusion, accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac, may develop in any type of cancer. It was revealed in up to 20% of oncological patients. Method: We made a retrospective study of patients with pericardial efusion presented in our clinic between 2010 and 2015. We included 76 consecutive patients with indication for peri cardial drainage - we performed on them 80 surgical procedures: pericardocentesis, subxiphoid pericardial window, left paraxifoidian pericardial window, intercostal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) pericardial fenestration, and classical thoracic surgery (fenestration or partial pericardiectomy). We had patients with ages between 28 and 83 years. 23 patients were admitted with cardiac tamponade. The immediate postoperatory survival is 97.3 % and the 30-days-postoperatory survival is 81.5 %. Results: The immediate postoperatory mortality is 2.7% and the 30-days-postoperatory mortality is 8.5%. Conclusions: The immediate prognosis of the patient with malignant pericardial effusion is influenced by the risk of postoperative Low-Cardiac-Output-Syndrome (LCOS), or pericardial decompression syndrome (PDS), which remains the main cause of mortality. The long-term prognosis is related to the type of malignant tumor. The most effective tehnique with the lowest rate of recurrence is pericardo-pleural window done thoracoscopically/ by VATS; pericardocentesis has the highest rate of recurrence - 90% and is associated with high rates of cardiac complications and mortality.

Ordinary symptom for a serious pathology - giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura.

The solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) is a rare primary tumor arising from mesenchymal cells in the areolar tissue subjacent to the mesothelial-lined pleura. From an epidemiological standpoint, solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura account for less than 5% of primary pleural tumors, and commonly affect patients in the sixth and seventh decades. We presented the case of a 38-year-old woman, without any significant pathological history, who presented at the emergency room for unspecific respiratory symptoms. Imagistic investigations showed a giant opacity in the upper half part of the left hemithorax. The patient underwent surgery and en bloc resection of the tumor (30/25 cm) in oncological limits was performed. Definite diagnosis - solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura - was obtained through histological examination and immunohistochemistry. Even if SFTP are benign tumors, a long follow-up period is mandatory as even patients with complete resection are at risk of recurrence several years after surgery.

Perioperative management difficulties in parathyroidectomy for primary versus secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism.

BACKGROUND: In patients with hyperparathyroidism, parathyroidectomy is the only curative therapy. Anaesthetic management differs function of etiology (primary vs. secondary or tertiary hyperparathyroidism) and surgical technique (minimally invasive or classic parathyroidectomy). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate peri-operative management (focusing on hemodynamic changes, cardiac arrhythmias and patients' awakening quality) in parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism of various etiologies, in a tertiary center. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 292 patients who underwent surgery for hyperparathyroidism between 2000-2011 were retrospectively reviewed; 96 patients (19M/77F) presented with primary hyperparathyroidism (group A) and 196 (80M/116F) with secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism due to renal failure (group B). Biochemical parameters (serum calcium, phosphate, creatinine) were determined by automated standard laboratory methods. Serum intact PTH was measured by ELISA (iPTH - normal range: 15-65 pg/mL). OUTCOMES: Median surgery duration was 30 minutes in group A (minimally invasive or classic parathyroidectomy) and 75 minutes in group B (total parathyroidectomy and re implantation of a small parathyroid fragment into the sternocleidomastoid muscle). During anaesthesia induction, arterial hypotension developed significantly more frequent in group B (57 out of 196 pts, 29.1%) than in group A (8 out of 96 pts, 8.34%), p<0.0001, especially in patients receiving Fentanyl-Propofol. During surgery and anaesthesia maintenance, bradycardia was significantly more frequent in group A (67 out of 96 pts, 69.8%) than in group B (26 out of 196 pts, 13.3%), p<0.0001, especially during searching of parathyroid glands. By contrary, ventricular premature beats were less frequent in group A (25 out of 96 pts, 25.25%) than in group B (84 out of 196 pts, 42.85%), p=0.003. There were no statistically significant differences between the studied group regarding frequency of arterial hypertension and hypotension, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: anaesthetic management in parathyroid surgery may be difficult because of cardiac arrhythmias (bradycardia in primary hyperparathyroidism and ventricular premature beats in secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism, respectively) and arterial hypotension during anaesthesia induction in patients with secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism.

Minimally invasive surgical treatment of malignant pleural effusions.

INTRODUCTION: Usually the pleural cavity contains a small amount of liquid (approximately 10 ml). Pleural effusions appear when the liquid production rate overpasses the absorption rate with a greater amount of liquid inside the pleural cavity. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between January 1998 to December 2008 we conducted a study in order to establish the adequate surgical treatment for MPEs. Effective control of a recurrent malignant pleural effusion can greatly improve the quality of life of the cancer patient. The present review collects and examines the clinical results of minimally invasive techniques designed to treat this problem. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Patients with MPEs were studied according to several criteria. In our study we observed the superiority of intraoperative talc poudrage, probably due to a more uniform distribution of talc particles over the pleural surface. Minimal pleurotomy with thoracic drainage and instillation of a talc suspension is also a safe and effective technique and should be employed when there are contraindications for the thoracoscopic minimally invasive procedure. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of comparisons involving effectiveness, morbidity, and convenience, we recommend the thoracoscopic insufflations of talc as a fine powder with pleural drainage as the procedure of choice.

A rare case of unicentric plasma cell type Castleman's disease in the mediastinum.

Castleman's disease is a very rare (and thus little-known) lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by lymph node follicular hyperplasia with abnormal interfollicular vascular growth. It can be classified into unicentric and multicentric variants according to its localization, and into three histological types: hyaline-vascular, plasma cell and mixed. We describe the case of a 51 year-old woman who presented with precordial chest pain. Chest X-Ray and computed tomography (CT) raised the suspicion of an aortic aneurysm, and the patient was sent to the Interventional Cardiology Clinic at the Military Emergency Clinical Center for Cardiovascular Diseases (CCUBCVA), where the diagnosis of mediastinal tumor was made by ultrasonography, coronarography and CT. The patient was transferred to our clinic, where a diagnostic mediastinoscopy proved histolopathologically inconclusive. A lateral thoracotomy with ideal tumorectomy was decided upon and carried out, and the diagnosis of plasma cell type Castleman's disease was established. This paper discusses the pathogenic mechanisms, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Castleman's disease.

Left paraxiphoidian approach for drainage of pericardial effusions.

Pericardial effusion is one of the frequent complications of malignancies, up to 15-20% of the autopsy specimens showing pericardial or cardiac metastasis. Often the pericardial fluid accumulates in large quantities leading to cardiac tamponade, which can be fatal in the absence of appropriate treatment. The authors present another type of pericardial drainage: the approach is paraxiphoidian, not subxiphoidian or with xiphoid resection. Without xiphoid process resection, the surgery is better tolerated by patients (frequently the drainage is made under local anesthesia). In the case of xiphoid preservation, the surgical intervention is easier (no need for hard retraction of this bone). In all the five cases with this access, the postoperative results were very good, with complete evacuation of pericardial effusion. In all the cases, the pericardial biopsy performed under visual control was sufficient for a histological diagnosis and the immunohistochemical tests, if required.

[Cervico-mediastinal lymphangioma]. / Limfangiomul cervico-mediastinal.

The authors are describing three cases of lymphangioma, one at a seven years old child with cervico-mediastinal localization; another at a 39 years old person, situated only in mediastinum, the third is a cervical lymphangioma at a 55 years old subject. The respiratory symptoms are present in the two cases with mediastinal involvement. The patient with cervical localization had no symptoms. The radiological exams: thoracic radiography, CT or the ultrasound test are revealing a cystic tumor in mediastinum or in cervical region. We performed a complete surgical tumor resection through median sternotomy, left thoracotomy and cervicotomy. The evolution was very good in all cases. The diagnosis had histopathological confirmation.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for radically resected non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective analysis of 311 consecutively treated patients.

BACKGROUND: The impact of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) in the management of resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is highly debated. The aim of the study was to evaluate the outcome of this category of patients, treated at the Military Hospital Bucharest (surgery) and Institute of Oncology Bucharest (CT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the survival data according to various patients' characteristics, the corresponding pattern of relapses, along with the data concerning the CT program. RESULTS: A number of 311 consecutively treated patients (pts.), between January 1994 and October 2002, were evaluated. All patients were radically resected and received adjuvant CT. Chemotherapy was planned to be cisplatin-based and to be delivered for six cycles. In addition, 141 pts. (45%) received post-operative irradiation (RT). demographics: sex, M 252 (81%)/F 59 (19%) and median age: 58 (range 31-75). Stage: I 55 (17%), II 71 (23%), III A 140 (45%) and III B 45 (15%). After a median follow-up of 46 months, the overall median survival (MS), considering all the patients, was 42 months and the 5-year survival rate (5-year SR) was 44%. According to stage, MS and 5-year SR were as follows: Stage I = not reached/94%; Stage II = 54 months/59%; Stage III A = 28 months/37% and Stage III B= 18 months/27%. According to lymph node status, the MS was not reached for pN-negative pts. and 26 months for pN-positive pts. (P = 0.0002), while the 5-year SR was 75% versus 35%, respectively. Platinum-based CT was delivered in 295 pts. (95%). The medium number of cycles was five. A number of 86 (28%) relapses were recorded, of which 50 (16%) were distant, 25 (8%) local and 11 (4%) distant and local. The sites of the 50 distant relapses were BRA 24 (48%), OSS 10 (20%), PUL 6 (12%) and OTH 10 (20%). CONCLUSION: Our analysis shows good long-term survival data for adjuvant CT following surgery in NSCLC, which looks comparatively superior to those communicated for surgery-only series. Pathologic invasion of the lymph nodes has a strong adverse effect on patients' outcome. The positive impact of CT in this setting is indirectly sustained by the pattern of relapses, which place the brain sanctuary on the first rank. Overall, the patients' compliance was good and we delivered a medium of five cycles of adjuvant platinum-based CT.