Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer

Since 1990s, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has become a standard procedure for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. However, VATS lobectomies are less common, and no randomized controlled trial of VATS versus conventional open lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer has been performed in Japan. Furthermore, VATS lobectomy procedures are not standardized in Japan, and may vary by institution or by practitioner, which complicates their evaluation. Although VATS procedures (such as pneumonectomy, bronchoplasty, and chest wall resection) have been reportedly performed for patients with advanced disease, whether VATS could be a standard modality for advanced lung cancer is unclear from an oncological perspective. Until recently, VATS lobectomies commonly used three or four ports to conduct systemic lymph node dissection; however, VATS lobectomies with reduced port have been recently reported. This article reviews current trends in VATS lobectomy procedures.     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy for lung cancer: the point at issue

Among the four subjects addressed in this article, the definition of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy is fundamentally the point at issue, which leads to various obstacles for upcoming clinical trials. It is strongly expected that VATS lobectomy will be identified as a standard operation for primary lung cancer with confirmed clinical evidence. Standard surgical procedure with a certain oncological validity for lung cancer should be minimally invasive, safe, and technically simple for general thoracic surgeons. In conclusion, most patients with resectable lung cancer will be able to benefit from a validated painless VATS lobectomy in the near future.     

VATS lobectomy in stage I lung cancer: standard or experimental procedure

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lobectomy in stage?I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was introduced in 1991 and has been accompanied by concerns in terms of safety and oncological adequacy over a long period. Only few randomised controlled trials including a small number of patients have been performed, demonstrating non-inferiority of the technical feasibility, patient comfort and long-term prognosis compared with the open technique. The evolving acceptance of VATS lobectomy, however, is based on case-control series and case series including up to 1100?patients as well as reviews and metaanalyses demonstrating its overall advantages. Presuming appropiate training the VATS procedure can be accomplished rapidly, safely and without violation of oncological principles. Patients experience a less traumatic procedure and a shorter recovery. The 5-year survival is not different from that after open thoracotomy. In conclusion, VATS lobectomy may be regarded as standard in stage?I NSCLC as long as the preconditions in terms of surgical training, patient selection and infrastructure are fulfilled.     

Thoracoscopic mediastinal lymph node dissection for lung cancer

Mediastinal lymph node staging is an important component of the assessment and management of patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer and is necessary to achieve complete resection. During minimally invasive surgery, performance of an equivalent oncologic resection, including adequate lymph node dissection similar in extent to open thoracotomy, is absolutely necessary. We describe our techniques for video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and Robot-assisted VATS (R-VATS) mediastinal lymph node dissection when performing thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer. Between 2008 and 2011, 200 consecutive patients who underwent VATS or R-VATS lobectomies for early stage lung cancer were analyzed. In our series, we removed about 25 lymph nodes per case in both complete VATS and R-VATS. A thorough lymph node dissection in lung cancer is possible with either VATS or R-VATS technique without oncological compromise.     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy (VATS), open thoracotomy, and the robot for lung cancer

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy provides a minimally invasive approach for the management of early-stage lung cancer. Questions about the safety of VATS lobectomy and its adequacy as a cancer operation compared with open thoracotomy have hindered its universal acceptance among thoracic surgeons. Evidence suggests that VATS lobectomy can be safely performed and is an adequate cancer operation for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. However, adequately powered well-balanced studies comparing VATS with open thoracotomy for lobectomy are lacking in the literature.     

Evolution to video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy after training: initial results of the first 30 patients

BACKGROUND: In early-stage lung cancer, evidence is accumulating for the benefits of lobectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) over open lobectomy. Few thoracic training programs offer sufficient experience in this technically demanding procedure. This article describes the evolution of a new graduate's practice from open thoracotomy to VATS lobectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Our model involves a transition in technique from posterolateral thoracotomy to muscle-sparing thoracotomy and, ultimately, to VATS lobectomy. This approach was evaluated by examining outcomes of open thoracotomy patients before VATS lobectomy and outcomes of the initial 30 VATS patients. Data were collected prospectively. RESULTS: Before undertaking VATS lobectomy, 94 major pulmonary resections were performed by thoracotomy. Mortality was 1.2% for lobectomy and 0% for pneumonectomy. Use of the muscle-sparing thoracotomy increased from 17% of patients in the first half to 70% in the latter half of this group. For the first 30 VATS lobectomy patients, the mean operative time was 168 minutes. Median blood loss was 200 mL. Conversion rate to open thoracotomy was 13.3%. Mortality was 3.3% and morbidity was 26.7%. After short-term followup (mean followup 16 months), overall survival for stage I lung cancer was 96%. CONCLUSIONS: With our approach, new graduates of thoracic surgery programs can safely transition to VATS lobectomy. Gaining experience with the lateral muscle-sparing thoracotomy is an important step in the transition, as it offers similar operative exposure. Longterm disease-free and overall survival data are needed to evaluate our oncologic efficacy with this approach.     

Minimally invasive pulmonary surgery for lung cancer, up to date

Recently, the minimally invasive surgical approach is an important issue in the pulmonary surgery. In this review, we present the current fashion of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and new approach including robotic lobectomy. There is no clear definition or standard for this surgical procedure regarding VATS lobectomy. Therefore, no randomized controlled trial of VATS and conventional lobectomy can be set up. Although the definition of VATS lobectomy is not straightforward, VATS lobectomy showed the technical feasibility of conventional lobectomy in mortality and postoperative complication as well as lymph node dissection. VATS procedure for advanced lung cancer is unclear whether such observations can be developed into a standardized approach. There are no reports to evaluate the advantages of robotic lobectomy in terms of treatment outcomes for lung cancer compared with VATS lobectomy. However, we believe that robotic lobectomy has clear potential to improve the quality of minimally invasive surgery.     

The role of video-assisted thoracic surgery for the treatment of lung cancer: lung lobectomy by thoracoscopy versus the standard thoracotomy approach

Our objective was to evaluate the usefulness, safety, validity and benefits of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for performing pulmonary lobectomy in 24 patients with clinical NO stage I primary non-small-cell lung cancer compared with 30 patients who underwent a conventional thoracotomy. There were no significant differences in the intra-operative blood loss, duration of operation, or duration of chest tube drainage between the VATS group and the standard lobectomy group, but in this VATS' experience, patients had less postoperative pain. Numbers and distributions of dissected lymph-nodes were similar in patients whether undergoing standard thoracotomy or VATS lobectomy. We can confirm that the safety and validity of VATS are virtually identical to those of the standard thoracotomy approach in the lobectomy. However, the former technique causes less discomfort to patients and requires a shorter recovery period of laboratory data and IL-6 concentrations in thoracic drainage fluid. We conclude that VATS major lung resection is technically feasible. Stringent patient selection is important and special training is needed.     

全腔镜肺叶切除与开胸肺叶切除治疗早期肺癌的初步体会

【摘要】〓目的〓通过两种术式的比较,评价完全胸腔镜下肺叶切除治疗早期肺癌临床疗效。方法〓回顾分析性分析2012年9月至2013年05月我科行全腔镜下肺叶切除35例术前分期为pT1N0-1M0肺癌患者的资料(VATS组),全组病例均采用全腔镜四孔法完成手术。选取同期行常规开胸手术35例术前分期pT1N0-1M0肺癌患者的临床资料作为对照。比较两组之间手术时间,术中出血量,术后拔管时间,淋巴结清扫数目,术后疼痛,术后并发症发生率,术后住院时间等指标。结果〓无围手术期死亡,VATS组1例患者中转开胸。VATS组患者的术中出血量、引流时间、术后疼痛时间以及住院时间均明显低于常规开胸组患者(P<0.05);VATS组的手术时间、淋巴结清扫数与对照组的差异无统计学意义。结论〓全腔镜肺叶切除治疗早期肺癌安全可行,临床疗效满意。     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer

Objective|The objective of this study was to confirm the safety and feasibility of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for primary lung cancer and to compare prognoses with that of conventional procedures, and then to examine whether VATS would supplant a conventional thoracotomy for stage I lung cancer. Methods: From September 1995 through March 2002, 144 patients with primary lung cancer, included 118 patients with postoperative state I, underwent VATS lobectomy. We reviewed the previous cases whether they could be candidates for VATS lobectomy according to present indications. 166 cases were supposed to be candidates for VATS, and 121 cases of postoperative stage I disease were recruited into the “conventional thoracotomy” group. Results: There was no mortality or major complication except one case, and mean follow-up was 31.8 months in VATS. The number of removed lymph nodes was not significantly less than the number by conventional thoractomy (p=0.061). Five-year survival for patients with pathological stage IA adenocarcinoma was 92.4% (n=66) in VATS and 86.9% (n=50) in conventional thoracotomy, and a statistical significance could not be recognized (p=0.980). The length of hospital stay was significantly short in VATS lobectomy (p<0.0001). Conclusions: VATS lobectomy for stage I lung cancer can be performed safely with minimal morbidity, satisfying survival comparable with that of lobectomy through conventional thoractomy. VATS approach is a feasible surgical technique for patients with stage I lung cancer.     

Limited operation of lung cancer: the role of video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer

Lobectomy with systemic nodal dissection is recognized as a standard operation for lung cancer. Partial resection and segmental resection are classified as limited resections for lung cancer to preserve pulmonary function. Minor complications occur more frequently with limited resection than with lobectomy. Partial resection of the lung and simple lobectomy can be performed as video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Systemic hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection is not yet standardized using VATS. On the other hand, VATS preserves chest wall muscles. The difference between standard thoracotomy and VATS is a difference of approach to the thoracic cavity. It is most important for lung cancer surgery to be performed in the thoracic cavity with the minimum burden on patients.     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy: the evidence base.

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy provides a minimally invasive alternative for management of early stage non-small cell lung cancer, but is still only performed in a few specialized centers around the world. Questions about the safety of the surgery and its adequacy as a cancer operation remain hurdles for many surgeons. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature on VATS lobectomy to assess these questions. The MEDLINE database was queried and the papers analyzed. RESULTS: Four randomized control trials, 11 case-control series, and 10 case series were reviewed. A variety of VATS techniques are used, making generalization of results difficult. The weight of this evidence suggests that VATS lobectomy can be safely performed and is an adequate cancer operation for early stage non-small cell lung cancer. There is also evidence that patients experience less pain with VATS, but that length of hospital stay is similar. CONCLUSION: In expert hands, VATS lobectomy appears to be a safe procedure. However, the published evidence is thin and ongoing study is required, preferably with standardization of VATS techniques.     

Evaluation of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy requiring emergency conversion to thoracotomy

Objective: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been employed for the treatment of lung cancer. Many investigators have reported that the outcomes of VATS lobectomy for lung cancer are comparable to those of thoracotomy; however, several controversial issues remain. One of the critical concerns is the safety. VATS lobectomy often requires an emergency conversion to thoracotomy, for example, in the event of massive bleeding. In this study, cases in which VATS lobectomy for lung cancer was converted to thoracotomy intra-operatively (converted VATS lobectomy) were identified. The safety of the converted VATS lobectomy was evaluated. Methods: Between 2003 and 2007, VATS lobectomy was converted to thoracotomy in 24 out of 492 cases. Information regarding the patients’ characteristics, reasons for the conversion and perioperative complications as well as the recurrence and survival data were carefully reviewed. The reasons for the conversion were classified into two groups: (1) problems related to the VATS procedure (VATS-related problems) and (2) problems not related to the VATS procedure (non-VATS-related problems). Results: Of the 24 converted cases, 19 (79%) had a history of smoking. Nine patients (38%) had a history of lung disease. Left upper lobectomy was the most frequently associated with conversion (11/24, 46%), followed by right lower lobectomy and right upper lobectomy. The most frequent reasons for the conversion were hilar lymphadenopathy and bleeding (seven patients each), followed by fused fissure. Eight of the conversions were considered to be attributable to VATS-related problems. Perioperative complications were observed in four patients, consisting of prolonged air leak in three patients and transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy in one patient. However, there were no life-threatening complications. The median follow-up period was 26 months. Recurrence occurred in two patients: pleural dissemination in one and bone metastasis in the other. Two deaths were observed during the follow-up period: one related to lung cancer and another related to other type of cancer. Conclusions: The safety of the conversion was acceptable. Our findings suggest that VATS lobectomy for lung cancer is feasible from the viewpoint of safety, even after taking into account the potential need for conversion to thoracotomy in some patients.     

原发性支气管肺癌电视胸腔镜下肺叶切除术后的早期疗效分析

目的探讨电视胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗原发性支气管肺癌的早期疗效。方法1997年6月到2004年12月间治疗121例Ⅰ、Ⅱ期肺癌患者,其中Ⅰ期101例,右上叶切除术为34例,右中叶为13例,右下叶为17例;左上叶切除术为21例,左下叶为16例。病理分型：鳞癌24例,腺癌59例,细支气管肺泡癌10例,腺鳞混合癌7例,梭形细胞癌1例。全部使用胸腔镜器械切除的有38例。结果无术中死亡,并发症发生率15％。Ⅰ期患者的术后生存率：1年为99％（76／77）,2年为96％（49／51）,3年为79％（15／19）,腺癌相对于其他类型肺癌在术后生存率方面差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）,38例全部使用电视胸腔镜手术器械切除与63例胸腔镜辅助下小切口手术者在术后生存率方面差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）,与同期传统开胸手术相比亦如此。结论电视胸腔镜肺叶切除手术治疗早期肺癌的疗效优于传统开胸手术。     

全胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗周围型肺癌的临床分析

目的探讨全胸腔镜肺叶切除术在治疗周围型肺癌患者中的应用。方法回顾性分析2009年7月至2011年12月安徽医科大学附属省立医院应用全胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗90例周围型肺癌患者的临床资料,其中男55例,女35例;年龄33～79(62.5±11.5)岁。观察术中淋巴结清扫组数、手术时间、术中出血量、术后胸腔引流时间、术后住院时间、并发症发生率和疼痛评分。结果围术期无死亡。手术时间(135.0±32.5)min,术中出血量(230.0±80.4)ml,术后胸腔引流时间(4.8±2.1)d,术后第3 d疼痛评分(5.3±1.2)分。共清扫淋巴结520组,1 568枚,5.8组/例、17.4枚/例;淋巴结有转移71组,阳性率13.7%(71/520)。术后发生声音嘶哑2例;乳糜胸3例,经相应的治疗均治愈。随访90例,随访时间1～24个月,随访期间因肿瘤转移死亡4例;其余生存患者生活质量良好。结论对周围型肺癌患者采用全胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗,具有创伤小、恢复快和疼痛轻等优点。手术安全性、根治性与开胸手术相似,可作为治疗周围型肺癌患者的手术方式。     

Video-assisted thoracic surgical lobectomy in conjunction with lymphadenectomy for lung cancer

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has been in widespread use since the beginning of the 1990s. The initial indications for VATS were benign lesions of the lung, pneumothorax, benign tumors, etc. However, its application was extended to resection of lung cancer. We first gained experience with VATS lobectomy in September 1992, and also started performing lymphadenectomy using VATS in November 1993 after developing instruments for this meticulous operation. The 8-year survival rate of final stage IA lung cancers following VATS is 97.2%; this survival rate is significantly better than that with open thoracotomy. Here we report on our 10-year experience with VATS lobectomy, focusing on stage I lung cancer.     

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy: 13 years’ experience

BACKGROUND: Major lung resection by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has been proven to be both safe and technically feasible, but is not routinely performed in most hospitals. The aim of this paper is to show our technique for VATS lobectomy and our experience and outcomes obtained. METHODS: We have performed a retrospective review included all patients undergoing major pulmonary resection by VATS at the General and Thoracic Surgery Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville (Spain) since 1992. The clinical records of all patients were drawn from the hospital archive and data for the following variables were recorded for analysis: age, sex, clinical diagnosis, clinical status, date of surgery, type of surgery, inoperability, conversion to conventional surgery and reasons, duration of surgery and intraoperative complications, postoperative and long-term complications, postoperative stay, diagnosis, definitive status, and mortality. We also describe our surgical technique for each lobectomy. RESULTS: A total of 237 major pulmonary resections were performed, on 203 males and 34 males, with a mean age of 61.43 years (non-small-cell bronchogenic carcinoma: 204, benign processes: 24, carcinoid tumors: 4, and lobectomy due to metastases: 5). The overall conversion rate was 14.01%. Mean duration of lobectomy was 153 min, with a median of 98 min, and mean postoperative stay was 4.2 days. The morbidity rate was 15.18%, mostly involving minor complications. Perioperative mortality was 3.7%. The actuarial 5-year survival rate was 77.7%. CONCLUSIONS: VATS lobectomy is a viable safe procedure that meets oncological criteria for lung cancer surgery. In our experience, VATS is currently to be considered ideally indicated for certain benign processes and for T1-T2 N0 M0 bronchogenic carcinomas.     

机器人辅助胸腔镜左肺下叶切除两例

目的探索应用DaVinci S机器人辅助胸腔镜进行左肺下叶切除治疗非小细胞肺癌,观察其安全性,手术效果,以及相较于电视辅助胸腔镜手术（VATS）的优势。方法应用DaVinci S机器人辅助胸腔镜治疗非小细胞肺癌,进行左肺下叶切除2例,加系统性淋巴结清扫。结果 2例患者均获手术成功,无中转开胸,无手术并发症发生,无死亡,平均手术时间252.5min,术中出血量150ml,术后住院时间5d。围手术期未输血,术后恢复快、疼痛轻。结论机器人辅助胸腔镜左肺下叶切除初步证明是安全有效的,相较于VATS,有更逼真的视野,更灵活稳定的操作,从而具备更宽泛的手术适应证,是新一代微创胸部手术的重要选择。     

Comparison in prognosis after VATS lobectomy and open lobectomy for stage I lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become an attractive surgical procedure, but several issues remain to be resolved. Prognosis after VATS lobectomy is important to evaluate the adequacy of VATS lobectomy as a cancer operation. Interestingly, several investigators, including us, have reported that prognosis after VATS lobectomy was superior to that after open lobectomy in early non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One of the possible reasons is the low invasiveness of VATS lobectomy. But we considered that patient bias might have some influence favoring VATS lobectomy. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reviewed medical records of stage I NSCLC patients undergoing operation between 1993 and 2002. We compared and evaluated the relationship between patient characteristics and prognosis after VATS and open lobectomy. We focused particularly on histological type, classifying it into four subgroups; (1) bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), (2) mixed BAC + papillary adenocarcinoma (BAC + Pap), (3) other adenocarcinoma (Other adeno), (4) squamous cell carcinoma + others (Sq + others). RESULTS: A total of 165 patients underwent VATS lobectomy, and 123 patients underwent open lobectomy. The 5-year survival rate of the VATS lobectomy group was 94.5% and that of the open lobectomy group was 81.5%. Univariate Cox regression of survival revealed that male, CEA > 5, Other adeno, Sq + others, open lobectomy, and tumor size > 3 cm were significant negative prognostic variables. Multivariate Cox regression of survival revealed that histological subtype and tumor size were independent prognostic factors, but surgical procedure was not an independent prognostic factor. COMMENTS: Prognosis after VATS lobectomy was superior to that after open lobectomy, but patient bias influenced the prognosis in favor of VATS lobectomy, and the surgical procedure itself was not a prognostic factor.     

单操作孔电视胸腔镜肺叶切除术治疗早期肺癌的临床研究

目的探讨单操作孔电视胸腔镜(single utility port video-assisted thoracic surgery,single utility portVATS)肺叶切除术治疗早期肺癌的临床效果。方法回顾性分析2009年9月至2011年10月解放军总医院胸外科采用单操作孔VATS肺叶切除术治疗162例早期肺癌患者的临床病例资料(单操作孔组),用同期胸腔镜辅助小切口(video-assisted mini-thoracotomy,VAMT)肺叶切除术221例早期肺癌患者做对照(小切口组),比较两组患者的手术时间、术中出血量、淋巴结清扫数、术后下床时间、拔除胸腔引流管时间及术后并发症等。结果两组患者手术过程均顺利,无围手术期死亡。单操作孔组与小切口组患者术中出血量(162.8±75.6)ml vs.(231.4±62.8)ml、术后下床时间(2.2±0.3)d vs.(3.7±0.5)d、拔除胸腔引流管时间(3.5±0.2)d vs.(4.6±0.4)d,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);单操作孔组与小切口组患者的手术时间(133.7±22.0)min vs.(124.9±25.7)min、淋巴结清扫数(11.7±1.9)枚vs.(12.5±2.7)枚、并发症发生率7.4%vs.8.1%,差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论单操作孔VATS肺叶切除并淋巴结清扫治疗早期肺癌安全、可靠,较VAMT创伤更小、恢复更快。