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a Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York
b Departments of Medicine, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York
c Department of Pathology, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York
* Address correspondence to Dr Swanson, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1190 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10029 (Email: scott.swanson{at}mountsinai.org).
Presented at the Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Summit, New York, NY, June 8–9, 2007.
| Abstract |
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Methods: Data on 180 video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy or sublobar anatomic resection at our institution between January 2002 and December 2006 were reviewed. The conversion rate to thoracotomy, complications, length of stay, and duration of chest tube drainage were determined. Similar variables were evaluated for patients aged older than 80 years, those with a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) that was less than 50% predicted, those who had undergone preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, and those who had undergone lung-sparing anatomic resections.
Results: Thoracoscopic anatomic lung resection was performed successfully in 166 patients. One of 180 patients (0.6%) died, and 14 patients (9.2%) underwent conversions. Overall median length of stay was 4 days (range, 1 to 98; interquartile range [IQR], 3), and median duration of chest tube drainage was 3 days (range, 0 to 35 days; IQR, 2). The median length of hospital stay and median chest tube duration for the group aged 80 years and older was 5 and 3 days; for the segmental resection group, 4 and 3 days; for the chemotherapy or radiotherapy induction group, 3.5 and 3 days; and for the FEV1 less than 50% group, 5.5 and 4 days, respectively. No patients died in any of these groups.
Conclusions: Thoracoscopic lung resection can be performed safely in selected patients aged 80 years and older, in those with marginal pulmonary function, and in those with pathologic response to neoadjuvant therapy.
| Introduction |
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Although these and other early reports helped to establish the safety and feasibility of VATS lobectomy and suggested a potential advantage of shorter hospital stay and decreased postoperative pain, most studies were small and techniques variable. Furthermore, an early randomized trial that compared VATS lobectomy with muscle-sparing thoracotomy enrolled 55 patients and did not show a significant benefit favoring the VATS approach over open thoracotomy, other than fewer air leaks [3].
However, with technical advances and more widespread use of VATS lobectomy worldwide, new studies emerged that evaluated the use of a standardized VATS procedure and clinical outcomes. We analyzed data from 180 patients at Mount Sinai Medical Center to determine safety and feasibility of VATS lobectomy. We also examined our database to identify patient populations most likely to benefit from the minimally invasive approach. In addition to overall results, we focused on outcomes in four special patient groups: those who underwent segmental resections, patients at least 80 years old, those with poor pulmonary reserve, and patients who underwent induction chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or both, for advanced disease before undergoing surgical resection.
| Patients and Methods |
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Anatomic resections included lobectomy, bilobectomy, and segmentectomy. Candidates for thoracoscopic anatomic resection included those with known or suspected lung cancer, tumor amenable to anatomic resection, tumor size 6 cm or smaller, and anticipated ability to tolerate single-lung ventilation as determined by a preoperative pulmonary evaluation.
Patients who had undergone previous thoracotomy were considered candidates for thoracoscopic resection. Patients with T3 tumors were not considered for this approach. Although most candidates considered for thoracoscopic resection were at clinical stage I or II, selective patients with stage IIIA disease and proven pathologic response to neoadjuvant treatment were also considered candidates for the VATS approach. Generally, these stage III patients would have had successful induction therapy (ie, the absence of microscopic disease in the N2 lymph nodes). Thoracoscopic lung resection was performed using two ports, an access incision 5 to 8 cm in length, individual hilar ligation, and lymph node dissection without rib-spreading. Segmentectomy was performed with individual ligation of the segmental bronchus, artery, and vein.
All 180 patients underwent mediastinal lymph node dissection. For right-sided tumors, lymph nodes 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 to 12 (or hilar) were dissected; for left-sided tumors, lymph node stations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 to 12 were dissected; and on cervical mediastinoscopies, 4R, 4L, and 7 were dissected. Typically, for peripheral T1 tumors, we did not perform mediastinoscopy unless the preoperative CT scan demonstrated lymphadenopathy of more than 1 cm or a positron emission tomography (PET) scan was positive in the mediastinum. We routinely performed mediastinoscopies in patients with PET-positive mediastinal adenopathy (standardized uptake value >3) or T2 or greater sized tumors.
| Results |
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The median length of the hospital stay was 4 days (range, 1 to 98 days; interquartile range [IQR], 3). The median length of the chest tube duration was 3 days (range, 0 to 35 days; IQR, 2). Median follow-up for 106 patients with stage I NSCLC of 14 months yielded disease-free survival rates of 97% at 1 year, 86% at 2 years, and 72% at 3 years.
Thoracoscopic, anatomic sublobar resections were done in 24 patients, including superior segmentectomy in 7, lingulectomy in 2, lingula-sparing left upper lobectomy in 13, or basilar segmentectomy (ie, lower lobectomy sparing the superior segment) in 2. Mean age was 67 (SD, 10) years. Median chest tube duration was 3 days (IQR, 3), and median length of stay was 4 days (IQR, 4). No patients died. Five complications (21%) occurred, which were atrial arrhythmias in 2, pneumonia in 1, and prolonged air leaks in 2.
Thoracoscopic resection was successful in 25 patients aged 80 years or older. The median age was 83 (SD, 2) years. Median chest tube duration was 3 days (IQR, 4 days), and median length of stay was 5 days (IQR, 4.5 days). No patients died. Complications included pneumonia in 2, atrial arrhythmias in 5, prolonged air leak in 2, reintubation in 1, and bleeding requiring transfusion in 2.
Ten patients with both clinical and pathologic stage III underwent thoracoscopic resection after induction therapy. All patients underwent concurrent chemotherapy with a platinum-based regimen and radiation. Mean age was 68 (SD, 10) years. No patients died. Complications included vocal cord paralysis in 1 and atrial arrhythmias in 2. Median chest tube duration was 3 days (IQR, 3) and mean length of stay was 3.5 days (IQR, 4).
Eight patients with FEV1 less than 50% of predicted underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy. Mean age was 68 (SD, 10) years. Complications included pneumonia in 1 and prolonged air leak in 2. Median chest tube duration was 4 days (IQR, 5), and median length of stay was 5.5 days (IQR, 3.5).
| Comment |
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The preponderance of literature suggests that VATS lung resection is associated with decreased postoperative pain compared with conventional thoracotomy [9, 21–23]. One randomized trial of VATS sublobar resection vs thoracotomy showed reduced postoperative pain scores and analgesic requirements in the VATS group [24]. Sugiura and colleagues [22] found a reduced duration of epidural catheter use, less narcotic use, decreased frequency of analgesic administration, and possibly a lower incidence of postthoracotomy pain syndrome in patients undergoing VATS compared with those undergoing thoracotomy.
There is also some evidence to suggest that postoperative pulmonary function is better preserved after VATS resection than after thoracotomy [25]. Nakata and colleagues [26] found that measures of oxygenation, peak flow rates, FEV1, and forced vital capacity were higher among patients at 1 week and 2 weeks after VATS lobectomy than after thoracotomy. Similar results were found for the 6-minute walk test [23]. Video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy may also be associated with lower cytokine response [27].
Several studies suggest that the VATS approach reduces length of stay and duration of chest tube drainage [28], allowing for earlier return to full activities. Among 1100 patients reported by McKenna and colleagues [4], median length of stay was, in fact, just under 3 days.
Finally, some surgeons have raised questions whether VATS resections yield the same oncologic outcomes as resections performed through a conventional thoracotomy. Studies to date have shown comparable long-term survival for VATS resections of 75% to 90% (Table 2), comparable with historical controls. Of interest is that there may, in fact, be an oncologic benefit in favor of the VATS approach: a recent study suggested that VATS lobectomy may confer a greater likelihood of delivery of planned postresection adjuvant therapy [29]. In this observational study, 61% of VATS lobectomy patients received 75% or more of their planned adjuvant regimen without delay or reduction in dosage compared with 40% of patients in the thoracotomy group. Our data are consistent with the reported studies. Of the 26 patients in our series of 153 who received chemotherapy, 19 (73%) received their full planned dose of chemotherapy on schedule, and only 3 (12%) experienced a delay in one or more cycles [30].
The future expansion of indications for VATS resection for lung cancer includes those patients who are at high risk, for example, older age and low pulmonary function. Results at our center support the findings of Demmy and Curtis [28] and Garzon and colleagues [31] that suggest that VATS lobectomy can be performed safely in these patients.
Furthermore, it is possible to use the VATS approach for more technically demanding surgery. Our early experience with segmental resections and lobectomy after induction therapy suggests that these procedures are feasible and safe, offering the potential for cure in patients unable to tolerate a more extensive resection or in those patients who have had prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both. Long-term follow-up for local recurrence is needed to determine whether our limited resections do indeed afford patients equivalent oncologic outcomes. Video-assisted thorascopic lobectomy after induction therapy should be done in selected patients and by surgeons who have extensive lobectomy experience to achieve the best results possible.
Video-assisted thorascopic lobectomy for early stage lung cancer should be the standard of care given the improvement in outcomes seen in these patients by those surgeons who have adequate experience with this approach. With the potential for less perioperative pain, preservation of pulmonary function, and quicker recovery, VATS lobectomy may become the procedure of choice in high-risk patients, such as the elderly and those with poor pulmonary function. Technically demanding surgical procedures such as segmental resection and lobectomy after induction therapy appear to be feasible using a VATS approach and in selected patients may confer the same benefits that are enjoyed by patients who have a VATS lobectomy for other more standard indications. These small series will need to be verified in larger series and, ideally, through prospective multi-institution protocols.
| References |
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