Experience of tracheo-bronchoplastic surgery for lung cancer

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, surgical treatment of lung cancer is impossible without the use of tracheobronchoplastic operations, which in advanced specialized clinics take up to 5-10% of all radical operations. Material and methods. We conducted a retrospective study including 21 patients with centrally located lung cancer who underwent 22 tracheobronchoplastic radical operations between 2000 and 2021. The operated patients included 18 men and 3 women aged 42 to 67 years (mean age 54.5 ± 12.5 years). The morphological structure of the tumors was represented by carcinoid (2) and squamous cell carcinoma (19). The pathological process was located in the right lung in 16 patients and in the left lung — in five patients. Comorbid status was present in 20 patients. Standard lateral thoracotomy was used in 18 cases, and video-assisted minithoracotomy — in three cases. Extended lymphodissection up to D2 was performed in all surgeries. Combined surgeries included resection of adjacent organs: pericardium (2), unpaired vein (2), superior vena cava (1), diaphragmatic and vagus nerves (1), pleura (1). Results. The average duration of operations was 242.3 minutes (125-345 minutes), the average blood loss was 283.2 ml (50–1000 ml). Complications developed in 5 (22.7%) patients. Mortality was observed in 2 (9.1%) cases. Conclusion. The use of tracheobronchoplastic operations significantly expands the possibilities of thoracic surgery in treatment of lung cancer both due to technical resectability of the tumor at the transition to the main bronchus and trachea and due to functional operability at low respiratory functions and impossibility to perform pneumonectomy.