Validating margin status in lung wedge resection for clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer

Stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a localized disease without metastasis; therefore, it can be treated effectively with local therapies. Pulmonary resection is the most frequent treatment, performed as pulmonary wedge resection, segmentectomy, lobectomy, or pneumonectomy. Some retrospective clinical studies of pulmonary wedge resection suggest that its outcome may be inferior to that of anatomical pulmonary resection, whereas other recent studies, which assess surgical margin status, leveled acceptable outcomes. Since the outcome of pulmonary wedge resection for lung cancer may depend on tumor size, distance from the surgical margin to the tumor, tumor size/margin distance ratio, and margin cytology results, a prospective study assessing these parameters is ongoing. This will allow us to identify the clinical implications of these factors and predict which patients are likely to have a good outcome.     

胰头癌手术切缘研究进展

根治性胰十二指肠切除术对胰头癌患者术后长期生存极其重要。对胰十二指肠切除标本切缘组成的正确认识,是对标本进行规范化标记以及标准化检测的关键。取材的标准化和切缘状态的准确判断对患者的预后极其重要。目前,不同医疗中心对胰头癌手术切缘有不同界定。本文就目前胰头癌手术切缘研究进展进行探讨。     

Progress in lung cancer: Non-oat cell (non-small cell lung cancer)

Lung cancer remains the greatest killing cancer in the United States with 149,000 new cases expected in 1987. The present expected mortality rate is 87 per cent. More women in the United States died of lung cancer than breast cancer in 1986. Asymptomatic, early and curable lung cancer in high risk individuals is usually found by routine chest X-ray. So-called Stage I lung cancer was reported to have a 83 per cent survival rate at three years by Martini and Beattie in 1977 and 70 per cent five year survival rate subsequently. When the more than 30,000 volunteer males were enrolled in the National Cancer Institute, national lung program for screening, 223 unsuspected lung cancers were found. 47 per cent were Stage I with a survival rate at five years of over 76 per cent. The PMI-Strang/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center study found 53 cancers in its first screen and 235 lung cancers over the next eight years of the study. Forty per cent were Stage I with a five year survival rate of 70 per cent. Sputum cytology as compared to chest X-ray was of little additional value. Studies (Martini) of N1 lung cancer was found to have a 49 per cent survival rate following resection. The N2 group of lung cancers where the mediastinal tumor was surgically removable and followed by external radiation therapy had a 27 per cent survival rate at five years. Those tumors with solitary brain metastases where the solitary brain metastasis could be resected and the primary tumor controlled, gave a 27 per cent survival rate at six years. The group of advanced N2 disease where the mediastinum could not be completely cleared were a serious group of cancers. A study of 100 patients treated from 1977 to 1980 with surgery plus internal radiotherapy followed by external radiotherapy had an overall 22 per cent survival rate for four to eight years with most of the deaths occurring because of metastases outside the chest. More recently chemotherapy has been used pre-operatively for those individuals with advanced lung cancer in the chest then followed by a combination of surgery, internal radiotherapy, external radiotherapy and more chemotherapy, if chemotherapy sensitive. This is the so-called multidisciplinary approach. In our present early studies it seems that those so treated who are chemotherapy sensitive have a 44 per cent, two year survival rate in a group of patients considered to have extremely poor prognosis. Director Kriser Lung Cancer Center, Chief Thoracic Surgery, Director Clinical Cancer Programs, Beth Israel Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Emeritus, Attending Surgeon, Member of Board of Overseers, Memorial-Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center This report is the gist of a paper read by E.J.B. at the 87th Annual Congress of the Japanese Surgical Society, Tokyo, Japan, 1987.     

Relationship of shuttle walk test and lung cancer surgical outcome

Objective: Surgery remains the treatment of choice in patients with potentially resectable lung carcinoma. Both the British Thoracic Society and American Chest Physician guidelines for the selection of patients with lung cancer surgery suggest the use of a shuttle walk test to predict outcome in patients with borderline lung function. The guidelines suggest that if the patient is unable to walk 250 m during a shuttle walk test, they are high risk for surgery. However, there is no published evidence to support this recommendation. Therefore, we undertook a prospective study to examine the relationship between shuttle walk test and surgical outcome in 139 patients undergoing assessment for possible lung cancer surgery. Methods: The shuttle walk test was performed in 139 potentially resectable patients, recruited over a 2 year period, prior to surgery. One hundred and eleven patients underwent surgery. Outcome of surgery, including duration of hospital stay, complication and mortality rates was recorded. Student's t-test was used to compare the shuttle walk distance in patients with good and poor outcome from surgery. Results: Mean age of patients undergoing surgery was 69 years (42–85). Mean shuttle walk distance was 395 m (145–780), with a mean oxygen desaturation of 4% (0–14) during the test. Sixty nine patients had a good surgical outcome and 34 had a poor outcome. The shuttle walk distance was not statistically different in the two outcome groups. Conclusion: Shuttle walk distance should not be used to predict poor surgical outcome in lung cancer patients, contrary to current recommendations. It is therefore advisable to perform a formal cardiopulmonary exercise test if at all possible. The usefulness of a shuttle walk test might be improved. It could be compared to a predicted value, as for a formal cardiopulmonary exercise test.     

Survival after resection for lung cancer is the outcome that matters

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Stage-specific survival is well documented in national data sets; however, there remains limited recording of longitudinal survival in individual centers. METHODS: The VistA Surgery Package was employed to list operations performed by the thoracic surgery service at one Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center. RESULTS: During a period of 107 months, 416 thoracic operations were performed, 211 of them for lung cancer. Stage distribution was 66% stage I, 18% stage II, 12% stage III, and 4% stage IV. During follow-up, 102 patients died, 57 of them from disease-specific causes. Median survival was 39 months for stage I. Disease-specific median survival was 83 months for stage I, and 5-year survival was 52% (72% for stage IA and 32% for stage IB). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary resection offers high disease-free survival for early-stage lung cancer. Decentralized hospital computer programming (DHCP) allows individual oncology programs to reliably measure survival. Use of this important outcome measure in quality improvement programs facilitates realistic counseling of patients and meaningful assessments of practice effectiveness.     

Results of surgical treatment of T4 non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: Because of location and invasion of surrounding structures, the role of surgical treatment for T4 tumors remains unclear. Extended resections carry a high mortality and should be restricted for selected patients. This study clarifies the selection process in non-small cell T4 tumors with invasion of the mediastinum, recurrent nerve, heart, great vessels, trachea, esophagus, vertebral body, and carina, or with malignant pleural effusion. Methods: From 1977 through 1993, 89 patients underwent resection for primary non-small cell T4 carcinomas. Resection was regarded as complete in 34 patients (38.2%) and incomplete in 55 patients (61.8%). Actuarial survival time was calculated and risk factors for late death were identified. Results: Overall hospital mortality was 19.1% (n=17). Mean 5-year survival was 23.6% for all hospital survivors, 46.2% for patients with complete resection and 10.9% for patients with incomplete resection (P=0.0009). In patients with complete resection, mean 5-year survival for patients with invasion of great vessels was 35.7%, whereas mean 5-year survival for invasion of other structures was 58.3% (P=0.05). Age, mediastinal lymph node involvement, type of operative procedure, and postoperative radiotherapy did not significantly influence survival. Conclusion: In certain T4 tumors complete resection is possible, resulting in good mean 5-year survival especially for tumors with invasion of the trachea or carina. High hospital mortality makes careful patient selection imperative.     

Loss of blood group antigen a in non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Many human tumor cells display alterations in blood group antigen expression, and the loss of antigen A expression by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in blood group A patients has recently been associated with decreased survival. Methods: To confirm this finding, we performed a retrospective study of 62 NSCLC patients undergoing potentially curative resection between August 1987 and December 1991 who were blood group A and had paraffin-embedded primary lung cancer tissue suitable for immunohistological analysis of antigen A expression. Twenty-seven patients expressed antigen A in their tumors, whereas 35 had loss of antigen expression. Disease-free survival (DFS) curves were calculated for stage I (n=26) and IIIA (n=25) patients. Results: The two groups of patients with or without antigen A expression did not have significantly different DFS. A proportional hazards regression analysis identified no significant difference in the DFS of stage I patients with or without antigen A, but stage IIIA patients who had preservation of antigen A had significantly shorter DFS than did those who lost antigen A (p=0.0002). Conclusions: The loss of expression of antigen A by primary tumor cells was not a significant adverse prognostic factor in DFS in our series, and we would recommend further studies to define clearly the clinical importance of antigen A expression in pulmonary carcinoma. Presented at the 46th Annual Cancer Symposium of The Society of Surgical Oncology, Los Angeles, California, March 18–21, 1993.     

Early outcomes of lung resections in non-small cell lung cancer after COVID-19 pneumonia

ObjectiveThere is limited literature on patients with a history of COVID-19 pneumonia who underwent anatomical lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study was aimed to share the early postoperative outcomes in patients who underwent lung resection after COVID-19 pneumonia.Materials and methodsWe retrospectively evaluated 30 patients who underwent lobectomy with thoracotomy and systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection due to NSCLC in a single center between November 2018 and September 2021. The patients were divided into two groups regarding COVID-19 pneumonia history; the COVID-19 group consisted of 14 patients (46.7%) and the non-COVID-19 group 16 (53.3%) patients. The patients’ age, gender, comorbidity, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) value, tumor type and size, resection type, postoperative air leak duration, total drainage volume, drain removal time, postoperative complications, and length of stay (LOS) were recorded.Results9 (30%) patients were female, and 21 (70%) were male. The mean age was 62.1 ± 8.91 years. Our comparison of postoperative air leak duration, total drainage volume, time to drain removal, postoperative complications, and LOS between the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 groups revealed no statistically significant difference.ConclusionAnatomical lung resection can be performed safely in NSCLC patients with a history of COVID-19 pneumonia without significant difference in early postoperative morbidity and mortality.     

心包内处理肺血管治疗中晚期肺癌57例手术体会

目的总结心包内处理肺血管全肺切除术或肺叶切除术治疗中晚期肺癌的经验。方法回顾性分析1996年至2006年期间,57例因中晚期肺癌接受心包内处理肺血管全肺切除术或肺叶切除术患者的临床资料。结果全组患者无手术死亡,术后出现心律失常7例,肺水肿3例,肺部感染2例,均治愈。术后获得随访52例,随访率91.2%,随访时间1～5年。术后1,3,5年生存率分别为44.2%、17.3%和11.5%。结论掌握好适应证,心包内处理肺血管全肺切除术或肺叶切除术是一种安全可靠的手术方法,可明显提高中晚期肺癌的肿瘤切除率和手术安全性。     

Resection of chest wall invasion in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: The treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer invading the parietal pleura or chest wall is still debated. It is unsolved whether the depth of chest wall involvement or the type of resection (extrapleural or en bloc) affects long-term survival. Methods: design, retrospective analysis; setting, Hyogo Medical Center for Adults, patients: the 97 patients who underwent surgical resection for non-small cell lung cancer involving the parietal pleura or chest wall between 1985 and 1997 were reviewed. Results: Of the 97 patients, 76 had apparently complete resection, 21 had incomplete resection. The overall 5-year survival of completely resected patients was 34.2%, and that of incompletely resected patients was 14.3% (P=0.0489). In complete resection cases, the chest wall involvement was limited to the parietal pleura in 40, extended into the subpleural soft tissues in 10, and extended into the ribs in 26. The 5-year survivals were 32.5, 30.0 and 38.5%, respectively (no significant difference). The 5-year survival of completely resected patients with T3 N0 M0 disease was 44.2%, T3 N1 M0 disease 40.0%, and T3N2 M0 disease 6.2% (P=0.0019). The 5-year survival of completely resected patients with extrapleural resections was 30.0%, that of en bloc resections 38.9% (no significant difference). Conclusions: Survival of patients with lung cancer invading the chest wall or parietal pleura after resection is highly dependent on the completeness of resection and the extent of nodal involvement, but not so much on the depth of chest wall invasion or type of resection.     

老年非小细胞肺癌外科治疗80例临床效果分析

目的探讨老年非小细胞肺癌患者外科治疗临床效果。方法对我院接受治疗的80例老年非小细胞肺癌患者人院资料进行分析,医护人员根据患者治疗时间（单、双日）分为两组,每组40例患者。对照组采用西药治疗,实验组在对照组基础上进行外科手术,比较两组患者临床治疗效果等指标。结果实验组患者治疗总有效率为95％高于对照组患者（总有效率为85％）;38例实验组患者对我院治疗效果比较满意,满意度达到95％高于对照组患者;实验组患者1年生存率为45％,15例患者远期生存优于对照组患者（P〈0．05）。结论临床上,老年非小细胞肺癌患者外科治疗效果比较显著,治疗后并发症也较少,能够有效的减轻患者疼痛,值得推广使用。     

非小细胞肺癌肿瘤组织血管浸润对预后的影响

目前肺癌已成为我国发病率和病死率均位居第一的癌症,对于其预后相关因素的研究至关重要。TNM分期是评估肺癌预后最重要的指标,但相同分期的肺癌尤其是早期肺癌的预后仍然存在诸多变化。血管浸润在癌症的进展和转移上扮演重要角色,也可能成为非小细胞肺癌的预后因素。研究表明血管浸润对于早期肺癌尤其是未出现淋巴结转移的早期肺癌的预后有重要影响,有的学者进一步建议将血管浸润纳入早期肺癌的TNM分期系统。文章主要对血管浸润与非小细胞肺癌的预后进行了综述。     

MRI in rectal cancer: the T stage and circumferential resection margin

Different stages of rectal cancer show differing degrees of risk for local recurrence. Paramount for the selection and differentiated treatment of the different risk groups is a reliable preoperative test that can distinguish between these subgroups. There is recent evidence suggesting that MRI can serve for this purpose, because it accurately predicts the circumferential resection margin. In this article the role of MRI in the preoperative management of rectal cancer patients will be discussed.     

影响乳腺癌保乳手术切缘阳性多因素分析

目的探讨乳腺癌保乳手术切缘阳性与多因素的关系。方法2003年7月至2004年12月对112例原发性乳腺癌行保乳手术。0期9例，Ⅰ期51例，Ⅱ期50例，Ⅲ期2例，采用单因素和多因素分析切缘阳性与临床病理因素的关系。结果单因素分析，手术术式、乳腺X线片微钙化范围、组织学分级及EIC是影响切缘阳性与否的重要因素（P〈0、05）。多因素分析，影响切缘阳性的因素依次为：手术术式；组织学分级；广泛导管内癌成分（EIC），微钙化范围。结论乳腺癌保乳手术前，常规高质量乳房X线（如全数字化钼铑双靶）检查和切缘距病灶≥1cm对防止切缘阳性有重要意义。环行连续切取切缘及近肿瘤缘至少两张切片病理检查能有效预防切缘的假阴性。     

Factors influencing circumferential resection margin in rectal cancer

Aim Abdominoperineal excision (APR) has been associated with higher circumferential resection margin (CRM) involvement and local recurrence rates than extralevator APR for low rectal cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the CRMs in APR and low anterior resection (LAR) specimens and to identify factors influencing CRM involvement. Method All pathological specimens from consecutive patients with rectal cancer who underwent curative resection at the Cleveland Clinic Florida, from January 2000 to July 2010, were reviewed by two pathologists. Demographics, tumour characteristics, operative data, postoperative pathology and Dworak’s tumour regression grade were compared between specimens with positive and negative CRMs. Results One‐hundred and fifty‐four patients underwent curative APR (n = 65) or LAR (n = 69). Mean tumour size was 3.6 cm, and mean distance from the dentate line was 5.4 cm. Nine (6.8%) patients had a positive CRM (n = 6 APR, n = 3 LAR), which was associated with tumour size > 5.9 cm (P = 0.002), a distance of ≤ 2.6 cm from the dentate line (P = 0.013), microvascular invasion (P = 0.009), perineural invasion (P < 0.001), number of positive lymph nodes (P = 0.046) and incomplete total mesorectal excision (TME) (P < 0.001). APR specimens were three times more likely than LAR specimens to have an incomplete mesorectum (9.8%vs 2.9%, P = 0.322). Conclusions Factors associated with a positive CRM were tumour size > 5.9 cm, a distance of ≤ 2.6 cm from the dentate line, incomplete TME, number of positive nodes and microvascular and perineural invasion. The incidence of a positive CRM was not significantly different between LAR and APR (n = 3 LAR and n = 6 APR).     

Gefitinib is effective for pathological fracture of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

We present a 67-year-old woman with advanced-stage lung adenocarcinoma (T2N3M1, Stage IV). Palliative surgery with an intramedullary nail was performed for the sudden onset of a pathological fracture of the right proximal femur. Gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, administration without radiotherapy for 3 months led to remarkable recovery of the mineralization in the metastatic femoral lesion, in accordance with size reduction of the primary lung tumor. Her serum CEA level markedly decreased. She has remained alive during follow-up for 22 months after the surgery, and has suffered no adverse effects of gefitinib administration other than a skin rash and mild diarrhea. Oral gefitinib administration had an excellent effect on bone repair and mineralization for a pathological fracture of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma.     

Comparison of clinical and surgical-pathologic staging of the patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma

Objective: Clinical staging of non-small cell lung cancer helps to determine the extent of disease and separate patients with potentially resectable disease from those that are unresectable. Since, clinical staging is based on radiologic and bronchoscopic findings, overstaging or understaging may occur comparing to the final surgical-pathologic evaluation. We aimed to analyze preoperative and postoperative stagings in order to evaluate stage migrations and our surgical strategy for marginally resectable patients. Methods: We did a retrospective analysis of 180 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent resectional surgery between 1994 and 2000. In all patients, a thoracic computerized tomography and bronchoscopy were performed to define clinical staging (cTNM). Results: In 86 patients (47.7%) clinical and surgical-pathologic staging concurred. When comparing T subsets alone, correct staging, overstaging and understaging occurred in 133 (73.9%), 28 (15.5%), 47 (26.1%) patients, respectively. Only 13 of 21 patients (61.9%) who were thought to have T4 tumor preoperatively were found to have pT4. Also six patients with cT2 and five patients with cT3 were subsequently found to have T4 disease according to pathology. Clinical staging overestimated the nodal staging in 35 patients (19.4%), while underestimated the lymph node involvement in 45 patients (25%). Conclusion: Construction of cTNM stage remains a crude evaluation, preoperative mediastinoscopy in every patient must be performed. Preoperative limited T4 disease is not to deny surgery to patients since a considerable number of patients with cT4 are to be understaged following surgery.     

早期非小细胞肺癌完全性切除术5年后的晚期复发

目的 探讨非小细胞肺癌( NSCLC)手术5年后无复发患者晚期复发的风险和意义.方法 以496例行完全性切除术的Ⅰ期、ⅡA期的非小细胞肺癌患者为研究对象,于术后前2年每3个月至门诊复查1次,2年后每6个月复查1次.包括查体、影像学检查和检查肿瘤标志物,必要时进行病理学检查.5年无复发者336例继续随访3年,并收集相关的临床、病理资料,主要观察终点是肺癌复发,数据收集至2011年1月.采用Kaplan-Meier法估算无复发生存率,Log-rank法进行生存率显著性检验,应用Cox比例风险回归模型进行多因素分析探讨晚期复发与危险因素之间的关系.结果 496例患者术后5年109例死于肺癌复发,33例死于其他原因,18例带瘤生存,336例无复发.无复发者继续随访3～36个月,中位27个月.随访期中34例(10.1％)发生晚期复发,局部复发(纵隔淋巴结复发6例、同侧肺复发3例、胸膜播散2例、其他2例)13例(38.2％),远处转移(多器官转移8例、单器官转移13例中对侧肺脏5例、肝脏3例、中枢神经2例、其他3例)21例(61.8％).单因素分析发现吸烟、癌胚抗原、分化程度、瘤内淋巴管浸润、瘤内血管浸润、胸膜受累和病理分期是影响3年无复发生存率的因素.多因素分析显示瘤内血管浸润和瘤内淋巴管浸润是影响晚期复发的独立危险因素.结论 完全性切除术5年后的NSCLC患者仍存在晚期复发风险,尤其是有瘤内血管浸润和淋巴管浸润的患者,对于该类患者术后5年继续随访是有必要和有意义的.