Cell Lung Cancer Surgery Research Articles

P1.13-14 Prognosis and Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Skip N2 Metastasis in Completely Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

In our daily practice of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery, we sometimes encounter cases of pathological stage was up because of unexpected lymph node metastasis. If single-station N2 metastasis without N1 (skip-N2) of the tumor ≤ 5cm was noted postoperatively, it becomes stage IIIA like other N2 disease, and is to be poor prognosis in the current TNM staging system. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact for prognosis and clinicopathologic characteristics of skip-N2 disease. We identified 415 patients with <T3 N1-2 NSCLC who underwent anatomical lung resection completely between January 2000 and December 2018. The degree of lymph node metastasis was classified into three; N1, skip-N2 and the other N2 (N2). The prognosis and clinicopathologic characteristics of patients were analyzed comparing skip-N2 with N1 and N2. The median follow-up time was 45.7 months. Cases with N1 was 215 (51.8%), skip-N2 was 48 (11.6%) and N2 was 152 (36.6%). Among 48 cases of skip-N2, only 8 cases (16.7%) was diagnosed as N2 preoperatively. 5-year overall survival rate (5y-OS) for N1, Skip-N2 and N2 were 70.9%, 65.7% and 45.3% respectively. 5-year recurrence free survival rate (5y-RFS) for N1, Skip-N2 and N2 were 69.8%, 60.4% and 36.0% respectively. Prognosis of Skip-N2 had similar N1 (5y-OS; p=0.476, 5y-RFS; p=0.534) and had a tendency of better prognosis than N2 (5y-OS; p=0.08, 5y-RFS; p=0.01). As for clinicopathologic characteristics (patients characteristics, tumor marker, tumor size, tumor location, clinical stage and pathological characteristics), there were no significant differences between Skip-N2 disease and the other N1-2 disease. In skip-N2, 98% of cases were found within the extent of lobe specific lymph-node dissection. From clinicopathologic factors which can be obtained preoperatively, it is difficult to predict skip-N2. But the possibility of skip N2 among clinical N0 is not high, almost of skip N2 were detectable during surgery; lobe specific lymph node dissection is appropriate for clinical N0. The prognosis of skip N2 showed similar outcome of N1 rather than N2, but the prognosis is not enough; adjuvant chemotherapy is necessary for this population.

Long-Term Outcomes of Pulmonary Resection for Lung Cancer Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

BackgroundThe survival outcome in lung cancer patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been well evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival outcomes following non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery in patients with CKD as a preoperative comorbidity.MethodsAmong 671 patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC between 2007 and 2014 at our hospital, 55 (8%) had CKD and we retrospectively analyzed the survival outcomes of these patients.ResultsMost patients with CKD were elderly and male. Patients with CKD had a higher frequency of smoking habit, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary diseases, and a notably lower pulmonary function, resulting in receiving limited pulmonary resection. There were no marked differences in the frequency of surgical complications between patients with and without CKD (p = 0.16). Squamous cell carcinoma was more frequently diagnosed in patients with CKD than in those without it. The 5-year disease-free survival rates in patients with and without CKD were 60.0% and 69.7% (p = 0.06), respectively, and the 5-year overall survival rates were 68.9% and 80.0%, respectively, showing significant differences (p = 0.01). The rate of receiving supportive care was higher in patients with CKD when recurrence observed.ConclusionCKD is associated with a poorer overall survival in patients who undergo lung cancer resection for recurrent disease. As patients with CKD tend to have a poor respiratory function, thoracic surgeons should carefully select the resection type to balance the therapeutic benefit and invasiveness.

The role of extended lymphadenectomy in left-sided non-small cell lung cancer surgery

Thanks to the advancements in diagnostic screening and imaging technologies, nowadays lung tumors can be identified at an ever earlier clinical stage than in the past. Surgical resection still represents the best curative choice in this setting.

Hospital lung surgery volume and patient outcomes

ObjectivesThere has been evidence of an association between patient outcomes and the number of surgeries performed at a hospital. To our knowledge, there are no Australian data on hospital cancer surgery volumes and patient outcomes. We evaluated the relationship between hospital non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery volume and patient outcomes in Victoria. Materials and methodsPatients with a primary diagnosis of NSCLC between 2008 and 2014 were identified in the Victorian Cancer Registry (n = 15,369), 3,420 (22%) of whom had lung cancer surgery. Primary outcome was death within 90 days of surgery and secondary outcomes included overall survival, use of postoperative ventilation and ≥24hours spent in ICU. Hospital volume was measured as the average number of lung surgeries performed per year, with quartiles Q1: 1–17, Q2: 18–34, Q3: 35–58 and Q4: 59 + . Results57% (1,941/3,420) lung cancer patients underwent lobectomy, 38% (1,299/3,420) sub-lobar resection and 5% (180/3,420) pneumonectomy. The overall 90-day mortality after lung surgery was 3.5%, and was 2.6% and 4.5% for patients undergoing lobectomy and sub-lobar resection respectively. There was no difference in 90-day mortality and overall survival between low- and high-volume centres regardless of procedure. Patients operated on in lower volume centres had more admissions to ICU ≥24hours (Q1. 55% vs. Q4. 11%, p-trend <0.001). A higher proportion of patients attending private hospitals (19%) had an ASA score of 4 compared with patients attending a public hospital (9%). ConclusionWe observed no evidence of survival differences between lung cancer patients attending low- and high-volume hospitals for cancer surgery. A higher proportion of patients had an ICU admission ≥24hours in lower volume centres and there are a higher proportion of patients with an ASA score of 4 in private hospitals compared to public hospitals.

Racial disparities in guideline-concordant cancer care and mortality in the United States

PurposeWe identified the frequency of racial disparities in guideline-concordant cancer care for select common disease sites in the United States and the impact of guideline concordance on mortality disparities. Methods and materialsUsing Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare data, we evaluated patients age >65 years of black or non-Hispanic white race who were diagnosed with stage III breast (n = 3607), stage I (n = 14,605) or III (n = 15,609) non-small cell lung, or stage III prostate (n = 3548) cancer between 2006 and 2011. Chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy (RT) treatments were identified using claims data. Pearson χ2 was used to test the associations between race and guideline concordance on the basis of National Comprehensive Cancer Network curative treatment guidelines. Mortality risks were modeled using Cox proportional hazards. ResultsBlack patients were less likely to receive guideline-concordant curative treatment than non-Hispanic white patients for stage III breast cancer postmastectomy RT (53% black, 61% white; P = .0014), stage I non-small cell lung cancer stereotactic radiation or surgery (61% black, 75% white; P < .0001), stage III non-small cell lung cancer chemotherapy in addition to RT or surgery (36% black, 41% white; P = .0001), and stage III prostate cancer RT or prostatectomy (82% black, 95% white; P < .0001). Disparities in guideline concordance impacted racial mortality disparities. Specifically, hazard ratios that demonstrated elevated all-cause mortality risks in black patients were lowered (and more closely approached hazard ratio of 1.00) after adjusting for guideline concordance. A similar impact for cause-specific mortality was observed. ConclusionsRacial disparities in the receipt of curative cancer therapy impacted racial mortality disparities across multiple cancer sites. Benchmarking adherence to guideline-concordant care could represent an opportunity to stimulate improvements in disparities in cancer treatment and survival.

National Comparison of Hospital Performances in Lung Cancer Surgery: The Role of Case Mix Adjustment

When comparing hospitals on outcome indicators, proper adjustment for case mix (a combination of patient and disease characteristics) is indispensable. This study examines the need for case mix adjustment in evaluating hospital outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer surgery. Data from the Dutch Lung Cancer Audit for Surgery were used to validate factors associated with postoperative 30-day mortality and complicated course with multivariable logistic regression models. Between-hospital variation in case mix was studied by calculating medians and interquartile ranges for separate factors on the hospital level and the "expected" outcomes per hospital as a composite measure. A total of 8,040 patients, distributed over 51 Dutch hospitals, were included for analysis. Mean observed postoperative mortality and complicated course were 2.2% and 13.6%, respectively. Age, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score, lung function, extent of resection, tumor stage, and postoperative histopathologic findings were individual significant predictors for both outcomes of postoperative mortality and complicated course. A considerable variation of these case mix factors among hospital populations was observed, with the expected mortality and complicated course per hospital ranging from 1.4% to 3.2% and from 11.5% to 17.1%, respectively. The between-hospital variation in case mix of patients undergoing surgical treatment for non-small cell lung cancer emphasizes the importance of proper adjustment when comparing hospitals on outcome indicators.

Adequacy of intra-operative nodal staging during lung cancer surgery: a poorly achieved minimum objective

Adequate intra-operative lymph node sampling (LNS) is a fundamental part of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery but adherence to standards is still far from being commonly obtained. Edwards and coworkers (1) reviewed 1,301 surgical resections performed from 2011 to 2014 to identify factors that may be the cause of the LNS inadequacy.

Short- and long-term effects of clinical pathway on the quality of surgical non-small cell lung cancer care in China: an interrupted time series study

To examine the short- and long-term effect of clinical pathway for non-small cell lung cancer surgery on the length of stay, the compliance of quality indicators and risk-adjusted post-operative complication rate. A retrospective quasi-experimental study from June 2011 to October 2015. A tertiary cancer hospital in China. Patients diagnosed as non-small cell lung cancer who underwent curative resection. Clinical pathway was implemented at January 2013. Hence, the study period was divided into three periods: pre-pathway, from June 2011 to December 2012; short-term period, from January 2013 to December 2013; long-term period, from January 2014 to October 2015. Three length of hospital stay indicators, four process performance indicators and one outcome indicator. ITS showed there was a significant decline of 2 days (P = 0.0421) for total length of stay and 2.23 days (P = 0.0199) for post-operative length of stay right after the implementation of clinical pathway. Short-term level changes were found in the compliance rate of required number of lymph node sampling (-8.08%, P = 0.0392), and risk-adjusted complication rate (9.02%, P = 0.0001). There were no statistically significant changes in other quality of care indicators. The clinical pathway had a positive impact on the length of stay but showed a transient negative effect on complication rate and the quality of lymph node sampling.

Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Volatile Versus Intravenous Anesthesia for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Propensity Matching Analysis.

Propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) has been reported to improve long-term outcome following cancer surgery, when compared with inhalation agents. However, such investigational reports are still controversial, and no studies have been conducted in relation to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery. The present study aimed to compare the favorable effects of TIVA versus inhalation agents on recurrence-free survival and overall survival after curative resection of NSCLC. This retrospective cohort study examined medical records of the patients who were diagnosed with NSCLC and underwent curative resection at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from August 2003 to July 2012. The primary outcome included the comparison of postoperative overall survival and recurrence-free survival in both groups. To balance the 2 groups for analysis, a propensity matching method was used, and stratified Cox proportional hazard models were used for statistical analysis. This study included 943 cases of NSCLC for final analysis, and the cases were divided into the TIVA group (n = 749) and inhalation group (n = 194). Propensity matching produced 196 patients in each group. The final analysis revealed no significant difference in the hazard ratio (HR) for recurrence between the TIVA and inhalation groups (P = .233). The HR for death between the 2 groups was not significantly different either (P = .551). In this study, we found no benefit of propofol-based TIVA for long-term oncologic outcome after NSCLC surgery, relative to inhalation agents.

Assessing the prognostic impact of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer proposed definitions of complete, uncertain, and incomplete resection in non-small cell lung cancer surgery

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the prognostic impact of the definitions of complete, uncertain, and incomplete resection in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery, as proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Patients and methodsSingle institution retrospective study of consecutive patients undergoing surgery for NSCLC between 1998 and 2007. Complete resection was defined by absence of gross and microscopic residual disease; systematic nodal dissection; no extracapsular extension in distal lymph nodes; and negativity of the highest mediastinal node removed. An uncertain resection was defined by free resection margins, but one of the following applied: lymph node evaluation less rigorous than systematic nodal dissection; positivity of the highest mediastinal node removed; presence of carcinoma in situ at the bronchial margin; positive pleural lavage cytology. A resection was defined incomplete by presence of residual disease; extracapsular extension in distal lymph nodes; positive cytology of pleural or pericardial effusions. Follow-up was complete and all patients were followed up until death or for a minimum period of 5 years. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method, log rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model. ResultsA total of 1277 patients were identified. One thousand and three patients (78.5%) underwent complete resection, 185 (14.5%) underwent uncertain resection, and 89 (7.0%) underwent incomplete resection. Both uncertain and incomplete resection were associated with significantly worse OS when compared with complete resection (hazard ratio: 1.69 and 3.18, respectively; both p=0.0001). Median OS and 5-year survival rate were 80.1, 39.9, 17.3 months and 58.8%, 37.3%, 15.7% in patients undergoing complete, uncertain, and incomplete resection, respectively. ConclusionThe present analysis suggests that in patients undergoing surgery for NSCLC, the IASLC definitions of complete, uncertain, and incomplete resection are associated with statistically significant differences in survival.

Smoking and timing of cessation on postoperative pulmonary complications after curative-intent lung cancer surgery

BackgroundSmoking is a risk factor for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) following non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery. The optimal timing for preoperative smoking cessation has not been identified. Our study aimed to observe the impact of preoperative smoking cessation on PPC incidence and other postoperative outcomes including long-term survival.MethodsA prospective study included consecutive patients following resection for NSCLC in a regional thoracic centre over a 4-year period (2010–2014). Patients were stratified according to self-reported preoperative smoking status. The primary endpoint was PPC incidence, which was assessed from postoperative day one onwards using the Melbourne Group Scale. Secondary endpoints included short-term outcomes (hospital length of stay [LOS], intensive therapy unit [ITU] admission, 30-day hospital readmission rate) and long-term survival.ResultsFour hundred and sixty-two patients included 111 (24%) current smokers, 55 (12%) ex-smokers <6 weeks, 245 (53%) ex-smokers ≥6 weeks and 51 (11%) never smokers. PPC occurred in 60 (13%) patients in total. Compared to never smokers, current smokers had a higher frequency of PPC (22% vs. 2%, p = 0.004), higher frequency of ITU admission (14% vs. 0%; p = 0.001) and a longer median (IQR) hospital LOS (6 [5] vs. 5 [2]; p = 0.001). In the ex-smokers there was a trend for a lower frequency of PPC (<6 weeks, 10.9% vs. ≥6 weeks, 11.8%) and ITU admission (<6 weeks, 5.5% vs. ≥6 weeks, 4.5%), but there was no difference between the <6 weeks or ≥6 weeks ex-smoking groups prior to surgery. There was no significant difference in long-term survival found between the groups of differing smoking status (median follow-up 29.8 months, 95%CI 28.4–31.1).ConclusionCurrent smokers have higher postoperative morbidity; this risk reduces following smoking cessation but 6 weeks does not appear to identify a time-point where differences in outcomes are noted.

Short- and long-term outcomes of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery.

8544 Background: The goal of this study was to determine patient factors associated with short- vs long-term survival after surgery for stage I/II NSCLC and assess the distribution of causes of death over time. Methods: Using the VA Central Cancer Registry, we identified patients diagnosed 2001-2005 with stage I/II NSCLC who had surgery and survived 30 days after resection. We used multivariate logistic regression models to determine the impact of patient characteristics on 1 year (1Y), 5 year (5Y), and 10 year (10Y) mortality. We compared causes of death at 1Y versus 5Y after diagnosis. Results: The analysis included 4,693 patients. Among these patients, the 1Y, 5Y, and 10Y overall survival (OS) rates were 87%, 45%, and 22%, respectively. 50% of patients alive at 5 year survived to 10 years. For each survival time period, highest survival rates were among patients who were younger (≤65), had stage I disease, had lobectomy, and had fewer comorbidities (all p &lt; 0.0001). Significant differences in 1Y and 10Y OS were noted for histology, with highest 1Y OS among adenocarcinoma (88%) and squamous cell (87%) and highest 10Y OS among large cell (28%) and adenocarcinoma (25%). Racial differences were only observed in 10Y OS (whites 22%, blacks 26%, p = 0.01). In multivariate analyses, age &gt; 65, stage II disease, surgery other than lobectomy, and ≥3 comorbidities were associated with increased likelihood of 1Y, 5Y, and 10Y mortality. Large cell and other histology were the only additional significant predictors of 1Y mortality [OR: 1.94 (1.33-2.84) and OR:1.36 (1.05-1.77), respectively], and squamous cell histology was a significant predictor of 10Y mortality [OR: 1.19 (1.02-1.40)] relative to adenocarcinoma. Among patients who died within 1 year of diagnosis (n = 616), the primary causes of death were lung cancer (63%), cardiovascular disease (10%), other cancer (8%), respiratory disease (3%), and other causes (15). The contribution of these causes of 5Y mortality (n = 2602) were 60%, 11%, 10%, 4%, and 12%, respectively. Conclusions: Half of patients alive at 5Y after resection of stage I/II NSCLC were alive at 10Y. 10Y survival is associated with younger age, earlier stage, non-squamous histology, lobectomy, and fewer comorbidities, but not race.

Plasma angiopoietin-2 is persistently elevated after non-small cell lung cancer surgery and stimulates angiogenesis in vitro.

Angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) is a key proangiogenic factor, but its role in surgery-induced angiogenesis, a possible cause of cancer recurrence, is still elusive.We measured the plasma Ang2 levels in healthy controls (n = 42) and stage I–IV perioperative nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (n = 227) with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and examined the impact of Ang2 in the plasmas on in vitro angiogenesis and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human microvascular endothelial cells.Ang2 plasma levels are significantly increased in untreated NSCLC patients (2697 ± 1354 pg/mL) compared to control (1473 ± 560.6 pg/mL) and positively associated with disease stage but not with histology. Ang2 plasma levels in stage I–IIIA NSCLC patients (n = 154) are elevated after the standard open thoracic surgery, following an approximate pattern to increase quickly in the 1st postoperative days (PODs, from preoperative 2342 ± 1084 to POD1: 4485 ± 1617 and POD3: 5370 ± 1879 pg/mL), reach the peak about 2 weeks later (POD14: 6099 ± 2280 pg/mL), drop slowly thereafter (POD28: 3877 ± 1388 and POD42: 3365 ± 1189 pg/mL), and remain significantly higher than preoperative 8 weeks after the procedure (POD56: 2937 ± 943.3 pg/mL). The postoperative plasmas enhance in vitro angiogenesis and Ang2 removal from the plasmas can counteract the effect. The postoperative plasmas stimulate endothelial proliferation independently of Ang2.These results suggest that plasma Ang2 increases after NSCLC surgery and contributes to the proangiogenic property of the postoperative plasmas, thus supporting the possible administration of anti-Ang2 therapy for NSCLC in postoperative adjuvant setting.

Transition from thoracotomy to uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery in non-small cell lung cancer-the Oslo experience.

Thoracoscopic surgery has been applied in medicine for more than 100 years. Still it is only within the last decade that it has gained momentum as a method in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery. Several approaches have been published, one of the more resent being uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). In this article we describe the transition from thoracotomy to uniportal VATS in our institution, the last step to uniportal VATS exemplified with two cases performed during our masterclass held in May 2016.

Is preoperative protein-rich nutrition effective on postoperative outcome in non-small cell lung cancer surgery? A prospective randomized study.

ObjectiveProtein-rich nutrition is necessary for wound healing after surgery. In this study, the benefit of preoperative nutritional support was investigated for non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent anatomic resection.MethodsA prospective study was planned with the approval of our institutional review board. Fifty-eight patients who underwent anatomic resection in our department between January 2014 and December 2014 were randomized. Thirty-one patients were applied a preoperative nutrition program with immune modulating formulae (enriched with arginine, omega-3 fatty acids and nucleotides) for ten days. There were 27 patients in the control group who were fed with only normal diet. Patients who were malnourished, diabetic or who had undergone bronchoplastic procedures or neoadjuvant therapy were excluded from the study. Patients’ baseline serum albumin levels, defined as the serum albumin level before any nutrition program, and the serum albumin levels on the postoperative third day were calculated and recorded with the other data.ResultsAnatomic resection was performed by thoracotomy in 20 patients, and 11 patients were operated by videothoracoscopy in the nutrition program group. On the other hand 16 patients were operated by thoracotomy and 11 patients were operated by videothoracoscopy in the control group. In the control group, the patients’ albumin levels decreased to 25.71 % of the baseline on the postoperative third day, but this reduction was only 14.69 % for nutrition program group patients and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Complications developed in 12 patients (44.4 %) in the control group compared to 6 patients in the nutrition group (p = 0.049). The mean chest tube drainage time was 6 (1–42) days in the control group against 4 (2–15) days for the nutrition program group (p = 0.019).ConclusionsOur study showed that preoperative nutrition is beneficial in decreasing the complications and chest tube removal time in non-small cell lung cancer patients that were applied anatomic resection with a reduction of 25 % in the postoperative albumin levels of non-malnourished patients who underwent resection.

Lack of Association Between Dexamethasone and Long-Term Survival After Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Surgery.

To evaluate the association between the use of intraoperative dexamethasone with an increase in recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery. This was a propensity score-matched (PSM) retrospective study. Single academic center. The study comprised patients with stage I through IIIa NSCLC. Patients were excluded if they were younger than 18 years, had missing data, and died within 30 days after surgery. Primary outcomes of the study were RFS and OS. The data were PSM. RFS and OS were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models after PSM to assess the association between intraoperative dexamethasone use and the primary outcomes. A p value of<0.05 was considered statistically significant. After PSM, 436 patients were included in each treatment group. Adjusting for significant covariates, the multivariate analysis demonstrated no association between the use of dexamethasone and RFS (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.98 [0.78-1.24]; p = 0.915). The multivariate analysis also demonstrated no association between the administration of dexamethasone and OS (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.08 [0.81-1.44]; p = 0.58). This study demonstrated that intraoperative dexamethasone administration to NSCLC patients was not associated with a significant impact on RFS and OS. The results were similar to a previous study on ovarian cancer patients. A randomized controlled study should be conducted to confirm the results of this study.

Clinical implications of positive margins following non-small cell lung cancer surgery.

Positive margins following pulmonary resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) occur in approximately 5-15% of patients undergoing a curative procedure. The presence of positive margins negatively impacts long-term outcomes by setting the stage for local and potentially distant disease recurrence. Despite major clinical ramifications, there are very few dedicated reports that examine the implications of positive margins following surgery for NSCLC. Furthermore, published series are typically retrospective studies from single institutions. In this review we analyze published data with special consideration of four pertinent questions: (i) what are the long term outcomes of a positive margin following pulmonary resection?, (ii) is intraoperative margin assessment by frozen section reliable?, (iii) what is the optimal distance of the tumor margin to the surgical margin?, and (iv) should adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy be used in the setting of a positive surgical margin?

Impact of Adjuvant Treatment for Microscopic Residual Disease After Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Surgery

Incomplete resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) portends a dramatic decline in survival. Historically, postoperative radiation and chemotherapy have been offered to treat residual disease at the surgical margins, yet the efficacy is unknown. We examined the survival among incompletely resected NSCLC patients to identify the optimal response to positive NSCLC surgical margins. The National Cancer Data Base was queried for surgically managed pathologic stage I-III NSCLC between 2003 and 2006 (n = 54,512). The prevalence, predictors, impact, and optimal treatment approaches to positive surgical margins were investigated. A positive surgical margin was identified in 3,102 NSCLC patients (5.7% of resections), including 1,688 with microscopically positive (R1) margins (3.1%). Compared with complete resections, patients with R1 resections had a worse 5-year survival; stage pI (62% vs 37%; p < 0.0001), stage pII (41% vs 29%; p < 0.0001), and stage pIII (33% vs 19%; p < 0.0001). Postoperative administration of both chemotherapy and radiation were associated with superior survival compared with surgery alone at all stages; stage pI (44% vs 35%; p = 0.05), stage pII (33% vs 21%; p = 0.0013), and stage pIII NSCLC (30% vs 12%; p < 0.0001). Administration of chemotherapy or radiation alone was less consistently associated with improved outcome in R1 patients. Of note, radiation alone did not improve survival for stage pI patients with R1 resections (26% vs 35%; p = 0.0399). The administration of both chemotherapy and radiation is associated with an improved survival in patients with microscopically positive surgical margins, irrespective of stage. Further study is needed to clarify the optimal stage-specific adjuvant approach to incompletely resected NSCLC.

Value of modified POSSUM scoring system on predicting operation risk in elderly NSCLC patients

背景与目的对于评价老年患者能否耐受肺癌手术，目前尚无明确标准。本研究旨在探讨改良POSSUM（Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the Umeration of Mortality and Morbidity）评分在预测老年非小细胞肺癌（non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC）患者术后并发症发生率和病死率中的应用价值，为手术治疗的决策提供重要依据。方法2007年12月-2013年12月在解放军总医院接受手术治疗的老年NSCLC患者138例，其中男性88例，女性50例，收集临床资料，各因素对术后实际并发症发生率和病死率的影响，采用二值多元Logistic回归分析。在有、无并发症两组中，采用成组t检验对标准及改良POSSUM评分值进行比较。绘制标准POSSUM和改良POSSUM的受试者工作特征曲线（receiver operating characteristic curve, ROC），计算曲线下面积（area under the curve, AUC），两组间AUC比较采用t检验。计算改良POSSUM评分预测值和实际并发症发生率和病死率的符合度。结果共有59例患者出现77例次术后并发症，手术死亡2例。Logistic回归分析，标准POSSUM的18项指标中17项及肺功能、肿瘤分期对术后并发症的发生有统计学意义（P < 0.05），年龄对术后死亡有统计学意义（P < 0.05）。在标准POSSUM评分中，并发症组与无并发症组的评分比较，差异有统计学意义（P < 0.01）。在改良POSSUM评分中，并发症组与无并发症组的评分比较，差异有统计学意义（P < 0.01）。改良POSSUM较标准POSSUM对术后并发症发生有更好的预测价值，两组AUC比较，差异有统计学意义（P < 0.01）。但改良POSSUM对手术死亡的预测值过高。结论改良POSSUM评分对老年NSCLC术后并发症发生有较好的预测价值，可为决策手术治疗提供依据。

Perioperative beta-blocker use and survival in lung cancer patients

Study ObjectiveTo assess the effect of perioperative beta blockers on recurrence and overall survival after non-small cell lung cancer surgery. DesignRetrospective study. SettingAcademic medical center. MeasurementsThe medical records of patients with stage 1, 2, and 3a non-small cell lung cancer were divided into three different groups: those patients who never received beta blockers perioperatively, those receiving nonselective beta blockers within 60 days of surgery, and those taking selective beta blockers within 60 days of surgery.Recurrence-free survival and overall survival were the main clinical endpoints. Univariate log-rank tests and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the effects of selective beta blockers, nonselective beta blockers, or no beta blockers on recurrence-free survival and overall survival. Main ResultsThe analysis included records of 435 patients. Univariate analyses showed that the use of both selective and nonselective beta blockers was associated with decreased recurrence-free survival (P = 0.014) and overall survival (P = 0.009). However, these findings were not sustained after adjusting for possible confounding variables in the multivariate analysis. The hazard ratios for recurrence-free survival (selective beta blockers vs no beta blocker use were: 1.304; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.973 - 1.747; P = 0.075; for nonselective beta blockers vs no beta blockers: 0.989; 95% CI 0.639 - 1.532; P = 0.962. The hazard ratios for overall survival were: selective beta blocker use vs no beta blockers: 1.335; 95% CI 0.966 - 1.846; P = 0.080; nonselective beta blocker use vs no beta blocker use: 1.108; 95% CI 0.678 - 1.812; P = 0.682. ConclusionAdministration of beta blockers during the perioperative period did not improve recurrence-free or overall survival in patients undergoing resection of non-small cell lung cancer.