Surgery For Early-stage Lung Cancer Research Articles

Potential Survival Benefit of Upfront Surgery for Lung Tumors Unconfirmed but Highly Suspicious for Stage I Lung Cancer.

Patients with early-stage lung tumors that are highly suspicious for malignancy typically undergo a preoperative diagnostic workup, primarily through bronchoscopy or transthoracic biopsy. Those without a preoperative diagnosis may alternatively be treated with upfront surgery, contingent upon the potential for intraoperative diagnosis. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the impact of upfront surgery on the survival of these patients. Our study aimed to elucidate the effect of upfront surgery on the survival outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for early-stage lung cancer without a preoperative diagnosis. We analyzed the survival rate of 158 consecutive patients who underwent pulmonary resection for stage I lung cancer, either with or without a preoperative diagnosis. A total of 86 patients (54%) underwent upfront surgery. This approach positively impacted both disease-free survival (p=0.031) and overall survival (p=0.017). However, no significant differences were observed across subgroups based on sex, smoking status, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, histologic tumor size, or histologic subtype. Univariate analysis identified upfront surgery (p=0.020), age (p=0.002), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) exceeding 7 (p=0.001), and histological tumor size greater than 20 mm (p=0.009) as independent predictors. However, multivariate analysis indicated that only SUVmax greater than 7 (p=0.011) was a significant predictor of unfavorable survival. Upfront surgery does not appear to confer a survival advantage in patients with stage I lung cancer undergoing surgical intervention.

Abstract 799: Area-level socioeconomic deprivation is associated with inadequate access to quality preoperative care and increased readmission after surgery for early-stage lung cancer

Abstract Objective: Socioeconomic deprivation (SED) has been associated with higher lung cancer risk and mortality. However, the effects of SED on lung cancer outcomes in an integrated, single-payer healthcare system, such as the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), remains unknown. We sought to examine the impact of area-level SED on access to care and outcomes in veterans with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with clinical stage I NSCLC receiving definitive surgical treatment in the VHA from 2006-2016. Patients were assigned an area deprivation index (ADI) score, a ZIP code-level measure of SED incorporating multiple poverty, education, housing, and employment indicators from the United States Census. Using multivariable analysis, we evaluated the relationship between ADI and guideline-concordant quality metrics (QMs) that stage I NSCLC patients should routinely meet in the preoperative (positron emission tomography [PET] imaging, smoking cessation support [SCS], pulmonary function testing [PFT], and timely surgery) and postoperative (cancer surveillance imaging, SCS, and appropriate oncology referral) periods. We also assessed the association between ADI and various cancer-specific outcomes including overall survival (OS). Results: The study included 9,704 patients. High ADI was associated with lower likelihood of receiving PET imaging (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.592, 95% CI 0.502-0.698) and PFT (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 0.816, 95% CI 0.694-0.959) before surgery. High ADI was also associated with delayed surgery (>12 weeks after diagnosis; ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 1.202, 95% CI 1.058-1.366). ADI was associated with 30-day readmission after surgery (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 1.380, 95% CI 1.103-1.726) but not with 30-day mortality (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 1.221, 95% CI 0.816-1.826), major complications (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 0.927, 95% CI 0.780-1.101), prolonged hospital length of stay (≥14 days; ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 0.893, 95% CI 0.755-1.056), or 90-day mortality (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 0.876, 95% CI 0.645-1.190). ADI was not associated with adherence to postoperative QMs (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 0.888, 95% CI 0.764-1.032), OS (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 0.984, 95% CI 0.911-1.062), or cumulative incidence of cancer recurrence (ADI ≥76 vs. ≤50: aOR 1.047, 95% CI 0.930-1.179). Conclusions: Area-level SED is associated with inadequate adherence to preoperative QMs and increased readmission after surgery for stage I NSCLC. Our data suggests that veterans with high SED experience inadequate access to quality preoperative care for early-stage NSCLC but do not have inferior long-term outcomes after resection. Future VHA policies should focus on providing more equitable guideline-concordant preoperative care and preventing postoperative readmission for stage I NSCLC. Citation Format: Steven Tohmasi, Daniel B. Eaton, Brendan T. Heiden, Nikki E. Rossetti, Martin W. Schoen, Su-Hsin Chang, Yan Yan, Mayank R. Patel, Bryan F. Meyers, Benjamin D. Kozower, Varun Puri. Area-level socioeconomic deprivation is associated with inadequate access to quality preoperative care and increased readmission after surgery for early-stage lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 799.

Timeliness of surgery for early-stage lung cancer: Patient factors and predictors

ObjectivesTime-to-treatment initiation is an important consideration for patients undergoing thoracic surgery for early-stage lung cancer because delays have the potential to adversely affect outcomes. This study seeks to quantify time-to-treatment initiation for patients with clinical stage I lung cancer, explore patient factors and predictors that lead to an increased time-to-treatment initiation, and compare surgeon perception of appropriate time-to-treatment initiation to the results. MethodsTime-to-treatment initiation was determined for patients enrolled in the Mount Sinai Initiative for Early Lung Cancer Research on Treatment study who underwent surgical resection for clinical stage I lung cancer between March 2016 and December 2021. The following dates were determined: (1) date of first suspicious radiologic imaging, (2) date of first biopsy, and (3) date of surgery. A total of 15 thoracic surgeons who participated in the Mount Sinai Initiative for Early Lung Cancer Research on Treatment were assessed on their perception on time-to-treatment initiation. ResultsFor 638 patients, median time from first suspicious imaging findings to biopsy was 40 days, biopsy to surgery was 37 days, and suspicious imaging to surgery was 84 days. Significant factors that resulted in longer time-to-treatment initiation in the multivariate analysis were African American or Black race (P = .005), vascular disease (P = .01), and median household income less than $75,000 (P = .04). Although the surgeon's perception was that the average time from biopsy to surgery was 28 days, it was longer for 63.5% of participants; surgeon perception of maximum time between diagnosis and surgery was 84 days and longer for 28.7% of participants. ConclusionsPatient factors such as race, income, and comorbidities were found to have differences in time-to-treatment initiation. Delays to surgery exceeded the expectations of thoracic surgeons.

Early-stage lung cancer surgery: does the reduction of pulmonary function is really threatening?

Early-stage lung cancer surgery: does the reduction of pulmonary function is really threatening?

Comparing Robotic-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (RATS) vs Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) Approaches for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has demonstrated its efficacy and improved clinical outcomes as an option for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. The development of robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) has become the newest alternative to VATS. This study aims to compare VATS and RATS in terms of clinical outcomes. This Systematic Review research used the PRISMA method. RATS is proven to be an alternative with superior results compared to VATS on the Mortality in 30 days parameter (OR 0.59, 95% CI = 0.40, 0.86, I2 : 0%; p<0.006) and transfusion rate (OR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.27 - 0.92, I2: 6%; p = 0.34). There was no significant difference between the RATS vs VATS procedure in terms of duration of surgery (OR = 0.50; 95%CI: 0.27 - 0.92), and intraoperative complications (OR 1.98, 95%CI: 0.12 - 32.44) and postoperative complications (OR 1.05, 95%CI: 0.93 - 1.19). The parameters of length of stay and chest drain duration in most of the studies show that VATS requires longer treatment time and thoracic drainage time than RATS. RATS can be an alternative to minimally invasive surgery in early-stage lung cancer with a lower risk of death and transfusion requirements than VATS, but there is no difference in the duration of surgery, as well as intraoperative and postoperative complications.

Associations Among Changes in Meridian Energy, Quality of Life During Surgery, and Prognoses in Newly Diagnosed Lung Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Study

Approximately 30% of patients experience postoperative complications after surgery for early-stage lung cancer. However, the relationships among meridian energy during lung cancer surgery, changes in quality of life, and prognosis have not been investigated. This study was designed to explore the associations among meridian energy, changes in quality of life, and prognosis in patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer undergoing surgery. A longitudinal, repeated-measures design was used. Basic data forms, meridian energy measurements, and a concise 12-item health status questionnaire were administered to the participants at the time of diagnosis, 2 weeks post-surgery, and 12 weeks post-surgery. During this period, changes were analyzed, and their association with postoperative risks was explored. Forty-eight cases were investigated. Both meridian energy and quality of life were found to be significantly decreased 2 weeks after surgery. The high/low ratio of meridian energy, the physical component score of the Short Form 12-Item Health Survey Questionnaire, gender, cancer stage, and body mass index were identified as significantly associated with prognosis. Conclusion/Implications for Practice: The declining trends in meridian energy and quality of life during the 2 weeks after surgery in patients with lung cancer are associated with poor postoperative prognoses. Nurses may use the findings of this study to identify patients at high risk of postoperative complications and develop appropriate strategies to provide comprehensive care.

Subcarinal lymph node dissection facilitated by applying suture passer in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

With the advancement of surgical skills and instrumentation, uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UniVATS) has become a popular option for the treatment of early stage lung cancer surgery. However, performing subcarinal lymph node dissection remains technically challenging under UniVATS view. We introduce a novel technique that utilized a suture passer to improve the exposure of the subcarinal area and simplify lymph node dissection, which has the potential for widespread adoption in clinical practice. There were 13 lung cancer patients who underwent UniVATS lobectomy with mediastinal lymphadenectomy in our institution from July to August 2022. Clinical data of the patients were documented and reviewed. The study population consisted of nine females and four males, with an average age of 57.5 ± 9.1years. UniVATS lobectomy with mediastinal lymphadectomy was successfully performed in all patients without conversion to open surgery. The mean operation time was 90.7 ± 36.0min (53-178min), intraoperative blood loss was 73.1 ± 43.8mL (50-200mL), and postoperative hospital stay was 2.9 ± 0.3days (2-3days). No complications related to lymph node dissection, such as chylothorax, occurred. Our novel method of using a suture passer could simplify the procedure of subcarinal lymph node dissection during UniVATS in initial clinical practice. Further comparative studies are warranted in the future.

Smoking Habit and Respiratory Function Predict Patients’ Outcome after Surgery for Lung Cancer, Irrespective of Histotype and Disease Stage

Growing evidence suggests that sublobar resections offer more favorable outcomes than lobectomy in early-stage lung cancer surgery. However, a percentage of cases that cannot be ignored develops disease recurrence irrespective of the surgery performed with curative intent. The goal of this work is thus to compare different surgical approaches, namely, lobectomy and segmentectomy (typical and atypical) to derive prognostic and predictive markers. Here we analyzed a cohort of 153 NSCLC patients in clinical stage TNM I who underwent pulmonary resection surgery with a mediastinal hilar lymphadenectomy from January 2017 to December 2021, with an average follow-up of 25.5 months. Partition analysis was also applied to the dataset to detect outcome predictors. The results of this work showed similar OS between lobectomy and typical and atypical segmentectomy for patients with stage I NSCLC. In contrast, lobectomy was associated with a significant improvement in DFS compared with typical segmentectomy in stage IA, while in stage IB and overall, the two treatments were similar. Atypical segmentectomy showed the worst performance, especially in 3-year DFS. Quite unexpectedly, outcome predictor ranking analysis suggests a prominent role of smoking habits and respiratory function, irrespective of the tumor histotype and the patient's gender. Although the limited follow-up interval cannot allow conclusive remarks about prognosis, the results of this study suggest that both lung volumes and the degree of emphysema-related parenchymal damage are the strongest predictors of poor survival in lung cancer patients. Overall, these data point out that greater attention should be addressed to the therapeutic intervention for co-existing respiratory diseases to obtain optimal control of early lung cancer.

Surgery offers survival advantage over radiotherapy in patients who are 80 years and older with Stage I and II NSCLC: A retrospective cohort study of 7,045 patients.

ObjectiveElderly people are less likely than younger patients to undergo curative surgery for early-stage lung cancer because of the greater risk of surgery and postoperative complications. We investigated the relationship between treatment modality and the risk of all-cause and lung cancer-specific mortality to compare the efficacy of surgical treatment with radiotherapy in patients with stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were ≥80 years old.MethodsWe extracted data from the most recent Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 9 registry study database (2010–2017). We mainly selected patients with stage I and II NSCLC who were ≥80 years old, and after screening, 7,045 cases were selected for our study. We used univariate analysis, stratified analysis, and multiple regression equation analysis to examine all-cause mortality and lung cancer-specific mortality in different treatment modalities. The overall and stratified populations' survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method. The competing risk regression method of Fine and Gray was used to estimate mortality specific to lung cancer.ResultsIn the fully adjusted model, all-cause mortality was 1.97 times higher in the radiotherapy-only group (hazard ration (HR) = 1.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.81–2.14, p < 0.0001) than in the surgery-only group. The lung cancer-specific mortality rate was 1.22 times higher in the radiotherapy-only group (HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.13–1.32, p < 0.0001) than in the surgery-only group. The median overall survival (OS) in the surgery-only, radiation therapy-only, surgery plus radiation therapy, and no-treatment groups were 58 months, 31 months, 36 months, and 10 months, respectively. Median lung cancer-specific survival was 61 months, 32 months, 38 months, and 11 months, respectively. The surgery-only group had the highest 1-year OS (0.8679,95% CI = 0.8537–0.8824) and 5-year OS (0.4873, 95% CI = 0.4632–0.5126).ConclusionsSurgery had a higher overall and lung cancer-specific survival rate than radiotherapy and no treatment in the elderly early-stage NSCLC population. For patients with stage I and stage II NSCLC at advanced ages, surgical treatment might have a greater potential survival benefit.

EP02.03-011 Timeliness of Surgery for Early-Stage Lung Cancer: Perspectives from Surgeons and Patients

Surgical resection remains the gold standard for treatment of early-stage lung cancer. There has been extensive research on the association between time to treatment initiation (TTI) and survival for lung cancer, with most studies finding a negative association including a recent systematic review. Nevertheless, there is no widely accepted standard for the appropriate TTI for patients undergoing surgical resection for early-stage lung cancer, though different guidelines exist, ranging from 2-8 weeks.

Surgery for early-stage lung cancer with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery versus open thoracotomy: A narrative review

Recommending video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) over open thoracotomy to patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial. Accordingly, we reviewed randomized comparative studies to determine the risks and benefits of VATS lobectomy. Electronic searches on PubMed with standard search terms revealed 97 comparative studies published between 1990 and 2022. Of those, only 5 were randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT) and 1 is still ongoing although initial data has been published as an abstract form. A total of 918 patients were evaluated in 5 RCT's. All studies included patients with known or suspected primary lung cancer randomized in a 1:1 ratio to VATS or thoracotomy. Between 2 studies, reports of 1-year, 3-year and 5-year overall survival were found to be similar across surgical modalities. Additionally, no differences were found in the rates of locoregional and distant recurrence. Three studies reported no statistical differences in the number of hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes sampled. Two studies found decreased length of stay following VATS (4 days v 5 days, P = 0.027 and P = 0.008), while 2 found no difference. Increased in-hospital complications were seen in 2 studies (P = 0.008 and P = 0.039). VATS was associated with decreased pain scores, better self-reported QOL at 52 weeks (P = 0.014). Few randomized clinical trials comparing VATS lobectomy to open thoracotomy and lobectomy in early stage NSCLC have been reported. These studies suggest that VATS lobectomy offers similar outcomes with decreased in-hospital complications, pain, length of stay, and improved physical functioning when compared to thoracotomy.

Application of Vagus Nerve Branch Preservation in Thoracoscopic Surgery for Early-Stage Lung Cancer.

Background In this study, we introduced a novel surgical strategy to protect vagal nerve branches during radical thoracoscopic surgery in right lung cancer and explored the effects of vagal nerve branch preservation. Methods We retrospectively studied 53 patients with right-sided lung cancer with clinically staged T1N0M0 between 2019 and 2020. All 53 patients were treated with total thoracoscopic lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection in the same number of lymph node stations. Of these, 22 patients adopted a vagus nerve branch protection strategy during lymph node dissection. Another 31 patients were treated with traditional lymph node dissection as the control group. Results The characteristics of the patients were similar between the two groups. The operation time and intraoperative bleeding in the protection group were longer than those in the control group. However, the protection group had a lower average postoperative pain score and average postoperative hospital stay. The above difference was not statistically significant. Three cases of arrhythmia occurred in the protection group, including 1 case of tachycardia and 2 cases of atrial fibrillation. In the control group, 13 cases of arrhythmia occurred after the operation, including 8 cases of tachycardia and 5 cases of atrial fibrillation. We also tracked changes in the patients' heart rates throughout the treatment process (excluding patients with arrhythmias). An increased heart rate was observed postoperatively in both groups, but the increase of heart rate of the protection group was smaller than that of the control group; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions A vagus nerve branch preservation-based approach to radical surgery is a safe and feasible strategy for right lung cancer treatment, which could significantly reduce the risk of postoperative arrhythmia in patients and may also have a potential role in reducing the length of hospital stay and maintaining heart rate stability in the postoperative period.

Surgical Effectiveness of Uniportal-VATS Lobectomy Compared to Open Surgery in Early-Stage Lung Cancer.

BackgroundAlthough the feasibility and safety of Uniportal-Video-Assisted thoracic surgery (U-VATS) has been proven, its surgical effectiveness is still debated. The aim of this study is to assess the equivalence of the U-VATS approach compared with an open technique in terms of surgical (nodal-upstaging, complications, and post-operative results) and short-term survival outcomes.MethodsThe clinical data of patients undergoing lobectomy for NSCLC at our center, from January 2014 to December 2019, were analyzed retrospectively. All patients undergoing open or U-VATS lobectomy with lymphadenectomy for early-stage lung cancer (cT1-T3N0, stages IA-IIB) were included in the study. Only 230 patients satisfied the inclusion criteria. Group bias was reduced through 1:1 propensity score matching, which resulted in 46 patients in each group (open surgery and U-VATS).ResultsThe intra- and post-operative mortality were null in both groups. There was no difference in the post-operative complications (p: 1.00) between U-VATS and open lobectomy. There was also no recorded difference in the pathological nodal up-staging [11 (23.9%) after thoracotomy vs. 8 (17.4%) after U-VATS, p: 0.440). The chest tube duration was longer in the open group (p: 0.025), with a higher post-operative pain (p: 0.001). Additionally, the 3-year overall survival (OS) was 78% after U-VATS lobectomy vs. 74% after open lobectomy (p: 0.204), while 3-year disease-specific survival (DSS) was 97 vs. 89% (p: 0.371), respectively. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 62% in the U-VATS group and 66% in the thoracotomy group, respectively (p: 0.917).ConclusionsUniportal-VATS lobectomy for the treatment of early-stage lung cancer seems to be a safe and effective technique with similar surgical and short-term survival outcomes as open surgery, but with lower post-operative pain and shorter in-hospital stay.

Robotic and Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery for Early-Stage Lung Cancer: Comparison of Long-Term Pain at a Single Centre.

Backgrounds: Since the application of mini-invasive surgery to pulmonary lobectomy, various studies confirmed the feasibility and the safety of the technique, with equivalent oncological standards. However, there are no studies that compare long-term postoperative pain in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. Methods: Between 1 January 2019 and 28 February 2020, we analysed pain scores at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the operation, where 50 patients underwent a VATS lobectomy and 50 underwent a RATS lobectomy. Pain scores are obtained through a telephone questionnaire, according to a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Results: The medias of the NRS scores, at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the operation were similar in both groups. Group I was composed of 50 patients who underwent a video-assisted lobectomy, while Group II was composed of 50 patients who underwent a robotic-assisted lobectomy. Two weeks after surgery Group I had a NRS value of 2.96 and in Group II it was 2.86; three months after in Group I the value was 2.16 and in Group II it was 2.06; six months after Group I ‘s value was 1.62 and Group II’s was 1.56; one year after in Group I the value was 1.30 and in the Group II was 1.24. For each time interval, no statistically significant differences were found (p > 0.05). Conclusions: In our analysis, RATS and VATS did not have significant differences in post-operative and long-term pain.

Genetic and immunologic features of recurrent stage I lung adenocarcinoma

Although surgery for early-stage lung cancer offers the best chance of cure, recurrence still occurs between 30 and 50% of the time. Why patients frequently recur after complete resection of early-stage lung cancer remains unclear. Using a large cohort of stage I lung adenocarcinoma patients, distinct genetic, genomic, epigenetic, and immunologic profiles of recurrent tumors were analyzed using a novel recurrence classifier. To characterize the tumor immune microenvironment of recurrent stage I tumors, unique tumor-infiltrating immune population markers were identified using single cell RNA-seq on a separate cohort of patients undergoing stage I lung adenocarcinoma resection and applied to a large study cohort using digital cytometry. Recurrent stage I lung adenocarcinomas demonstrated higher mutation and lower methylation burden than non-recurrent tumors, as well as widespread activation of known cancer and cell cycle pathways. Simultaneously, recurrent tumors displayed downregulation of immune response pathways including antigen presentation and Th1/Th2 activation. Recurrent tumors were depleted in adaptive immune populations, and depletion of adaptive immune populations and low cytolytic activity were prognostic of stage I recurrence. Genomic instability and impaired adaptive immune responses are key features of stage I lung adenocarcinoma immunosurveillance escape and recurrence after surgery.

Naples Prognostic Score as a novel prognostic prediction tool in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for early-stage lung cancer: a propensity score matching study.

The Naples Prognostic Score (NPS) emerges as a novel prognostic scoring system in surgical oncology. We aim to assess the prognostic significance of preoperative NPS in patients undergoing completely video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. The present study was conducted on our single-center prospectively maintained database between January 2014 and December 2015. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using the log-rank test was used to distinguish differences in both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) between the patients stratified by preoperative NPS. Finally, multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression analysis and PSM analysis were carried out to determine the independent prognostic factors for both OS and DFS. There were 457 patients with operable primary stage I-II NSCLC included. Per 1-point increase in NPS was found to be significantly associated with unfavorable OS and DFS of NSCLC. Both OS and DFS were significantly shortened along with each number increase in the NPS group, showing a step-wise fashion. Such strong correlations between preoperative NPS and survival outcomes still remained validated after PSM analysis. In addition, NPS held the best discriminatory power for predicting both OS and DFS when compared to the other peripheral biomarkers. Multivariable analyses on the entire cohort and the PSM cohort demonstrated that preoperative NPS could be an independent prognostic indicator for both OS and DFS. The NPS scoring system can serve as a novel risk stratification tool to refine prognostic prediction after VATS lobectomy for surgically resected NSCLC.

Incidental haemothorax after sublobar resection: did staple line scratch chest wall?

We herein report a case of life-threatening haemothorax that occurred 40 days after pulmonary segmentectomy in a 60-year-old man. The patient uneventfully underwent resection of the apical and posterior segments of the right upper lobe by video-assisted thoracic surgery for early-stage lung cancer. An emergency operation of haemostat for active bleeding from the intercostal artery was successful via a right thoracotomy. The bleeding point was in the vicinity of the staple line dividing the intersegmental plane. This case reveals that scratch by staples can cause haemothorax through incidental injury of the intercostal artery.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and interstitial pneumonia: a review.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can yield excellent local tumor control, as well as survival benefit comparable to that of surgery for early-stage lung cancer. However, in terms of toxicity, SBRT might lead to fatal radiation pneumonitis. Lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD), are major risk factors for lung cancer. However, these patients are typically not candidates for the gold-standard treatment option, lobectomy, because of the perioperative risks. In addition, patients with poor respiratory function can be excluded in prospective clinical trials. Thus, SBRT for patients with pulmonary diseases is still challenging, but there appears to be a clinical role for this modality as an alternative treatment. However, there are few well-documented review articles on SBRT for patients with pulmonary diseases. Therefore, we aimed to review SBRT in the context of important patient-related factors, including COPD and ILD. SBRT is an acceptable alternative treatment option for patients with lung cancer who also have COPD with an equivalent risk of radiation pneumonitis to normal lung. However, latent ILD should be detected prior to treatment. The indication for SBRT should be decided by carefully considering the risks and benefit for patients with ILD.

Photodynamic Therapy for Bronchial Microscopic Residual Disease After Resection in Lung Cancer.

The goal of lung cancer surgery is a complete tumor resection (R0 resection) with clear margins. 4% to 5% of resections have microscopic residual disease associated with worse prognosis. Definitive management is resection of residual tumor, which may not be tolerated by many patients, and definitive management is not well studied in these patients. We treated patients with stage I cancer and bronchial mucosal residual disease (MRD) with bronchoscopic photodynamic therapy (PDT). All patients who underwent definitive surgery for early-stage lung cancer were reviewed. Patients with R1 resection, stage I disease with MRD and or carcinoma in situ along the stump site were treated with bronchoscopic PDT. Patient characteristics, histology, type and site of surgery, pattern of recurrence, recurrence status, adverse events, and survival data were evaluated. Eleven patients with bronchial mucosal R1 resection were treated with PDT along the stump site. The median age was 67. Three patients had carcinoma in situ and 8 had MRD. One patient (9%) had local recurrence 1 year after PDT treatment and was treated with radiation. Four patients (36%) had no evidence of recurrence to date after a median follow-up of 4 years and the other 6 patients had evidence of regional (16%) or distant (39%) recurrence. The local control rate was 91%. One patient developed pneumonia and other had photosensitivity reaction. Bronchoscopic PDT is safe and effective in selected group of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who have MRD along the stump site.

P2.16-25 Lower Hiliar Lymph Node Upstaging in Early NSCLC Vats Surgery is Related to Tumor Location and Does Not Afect Survival

Nodal upstaging after early stage lung cancer surgery is not only inevitable, but it is also considered a quality marker for surgical lymphadenectomy. Underdiagnosis of pN1 has important significance and leads to undertreatment. Lymphadenectomy has been questioned in video thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) since its description. Recently some authors published lower pN1 upstaging incidence after VATS resection compared to open thoracotomy. We want to evaluate the rate of upstaging in our centre after starting a VATS program. All patient who required an anatomical resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCL) in our department have been retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided in two groups in relation of the performed surgical approach, thoracotomy (THO) and VATS. Both groups were compared in terms of gender, age, smoking history, comorbidities, lung function, histology, clinical stage and tumour location. Rate of hilar lymph node upstaging (pN1) and mediastinal lymph node upstaging (pN2) were compared between both groups. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for pN1 upstaging. Overall survival was compared between both techniques in pN0 patients. Between January 2011 and October 2017, 1.081 lung resections were carried out in our centre. 323 of those were anatomical resections for early stage (≤ IIB) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There were no differences among groups except for FEV1, previous history of Diabetes Mellitus, tumour size and location (p<0.05). pN1 ratio was 20,5% in THO vs. 8,6% in VATS (p < 0,05) when performed accesses was compared. No differences were observed regarding pN2 upstaging (6% in THO and 6,5% in VATS; p>0,05). Only gender and centrality were identified as independent risk factors for hiliar lymph node upstaging in a multivariate analysis. For those patient with no upstaging (pN0) there were no survival differences comparing open and VATS approaches. In our series pN1 upstaging is less frequent in VATS than in open surgery. When analysed, tumour centrality has shown to be an independent risk factor for hilar upstaging. Additionally central tumours were much more prevalent in open surgery group. In conclusion, lower incidence of unnoticed pN1 in VATS surgery could be related to a selection bias, because thoracotomy was preferred when tumour considered central. Furthermore, the fact that no differences on survival in pN0 patients were detected suggests that no patients have been underdiagnosed and in consequence undertreated.