Use of Robotics in Surgical Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Perioperative outcomes comparison of robotic and video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy for thymic epithelial tumor: a single-center experience

BACKGROUND

The advent of robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) has completely revolutionized the modality of thymectomy, which could reportedly achieve equivalent efficacy compared with a minimally invasive approach. This study was conducted to further compare the perioperative outcomes between these two modalities.

METHODS

A retrospective single-center study that included patients receiving either a robotic or video-assisted thoracoscopic (VAT) thymectomy between February 2021 and January 2023 was conducted. All the patients were pathologically confirmed with thymic epithelial tumors. Clinical and pathological characteristics and perioperative outcomes were collected and compared between these two cohorts.

RESULTS

A total of 190 patients were included in this study, with 61 (32.1%) and 129 (67.9%) receiving robotic and video-assisted thymectomy, respectively. The clinicopathological characteristics were not significantly different between these 2 groups. The size of the resected specimens in the RATS cohort was larger than the VATS cohort [median (IQR), 13.0 (8.0-16.0) vs. 9.0 (6.7-12.0) cm, p < 0.001], while the procedural duration was longer for the RATS group than its counterpart [median (IQR), 105 (85-143) vs. 85 (69-115) min, p = 0.001]. Moreover, no other significant difference was observed between these two groups. Since more than half of the robotic thymectomy was performed using a subxiphoid approach, a subgroup analysis was further conducted. Similarly, the robotic group through a subxiphoid approach harbored a longer procedural duration, and the size of the specimens obtained was larger than the VATS group [median (IQR), 14.0 (11.0-16.5) vs. 12.5 (8.5-15.0) cm, p = 0.061].

CONCLUSIONS

The early clinical efficacy of robotic thymectomy was proven comparable to the established VATS approach, and such a modality might have strength when obtaining larger specimens, which could contribute to improving long-term efficacy. Despite the longer procedural duration recorded in the early stage of conducting robotic thymectomy, further accumulation would help decrease the time.

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer patients with incomplete fissure

BACKGROUND

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery has gradually been accepted as an alternative treatment for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) owing to its advantages. However, severe incomplete interlobar fissure may lead to a high rate of conversion and postoperative morbidity. This retrospective study was conducted to assess the safety and efficiency of robot-assisted lung resection for patients with incomplete fissures (IFs).

METHODS

A retrospective review of medical records was performed in our institution from March 2021 to November 2021, and 207 patients with NSCLC who underwent robot-assisted anatomic lung resection were included in this study. Patients were divided into the IF group and the complete fissure (CF) group according to the level of fissure, which was determined based on the anatomical classification of pulmonary fissures.

RESULTS

The number of patients in the IF and CF groups was 87 and 120, respectively. In univariate analysis, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of operative time (p = 0.66), intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.26), chest tube duration (p = 0.41), incidence of prolonged air leakage (PAL, p = 0.49), or length of postoperative hospital stay (p = 0.25). No patients experienced bronchopleural fistula, pneumonia, or cardiovascular complications. The total cost in the IF group was higher than that in the CF group (¥83,655 ± 13,314 versus ¥78,211 ± 11,980, p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

IF does not increase the difficulty of lung cancer surgery with robotic platforms. Robot-assisted anatomic lung resection using the tunnel technique is an effective and safe method for IF patients.

Medical Data Analysis of CYP1B1 Gene Polymorphism and Clinical Prognosis of Minimally Invasive Surgery for Lung Cancer

To address the issue of genetic mutations in medical records, clinical studies on minimally invasive surgery for breast cancer have been proposed. The CYP1B1 gene is mainly a single-nucleotide mutation, which affects the enzymatic reaction related to carcinogens and causes the susceptibility differences of different individuals. First, the survival rate and other factors influencing the estimation of 120 leukemia patients were examined with the help of various medical records by establishing an organization for auxiliary diagnosis of lung cancer based on expertise. Secondly, through the treatment of 120 leukemia patients after minor surgery, the average life expectancy of 120 patients was 19 months, the one-year survival rate was 74.61%, and the two-year survival rate was 32.70%. Currently, there are more than 160 cases of CYP1B1 discovered. In recent years, people have gradually entered into in-depth research on the correlation between genes and lung cancer, which is of great significance to the treatment and research of lung cancer. An analysis showed patients' age, stage, whether they would work, whether radiation therapy and antibiotics were offered, and so on. s has a direct impact on patient survival, and many tests have shown that the patient's age, stage, whether it will work, and whether fire radiation and drug therapy are provided are important interventions for patients with anemia. Finally, in patients with leukemia, especially during the restricted period, combined treatment with a physician, radiologist, and surgeon should be initiated as soon as possible. For a wide range of disease, depending on the use of chemotherapy, local metastasis with antibiotics can improve the disease. After success, it is more beneficial to choose second-line treatment.

Robotic and video-assisted lobectomy/segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer have similar perioperative outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

At present, the clinical conclusion that robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), which is better for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not clear. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes between RATS and VATS for NSCLC.

Methods

The Population, Interventions, Comparators, Outcomes, and Study design (PICOS) framework was employed to develop the search strategy, and the findings was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. We searched EMbase, The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wan Fang Data to collect clinical studies about RATS vs. VATS for patients with NSCLC from inception to October 2019. The following outcomes were measured: rate of conversion to thoracotomy, postoperative complications, postoperative hospital mortality, lymph node dissection, hospitalization time, operating time, and postoperative drainage days. Estimation of potential publication bias was conducted by Begg’s test and Egger’s test. The Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) and Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using Stata 15.0 software.

Results

A total of 18 studies involving 60,349 patients were included. Among them, 8,726 cases were in the RATS group, and 51,623 were in the VATS group. The results of meta-analysis showed that the operation time of RATS group was longer than that of VATS group (SMD=0.532, 95% CI: 0.391–0.674, P=0.000). And the further meta-analysis suggested that the incidence of postoperative complications was lower in patients who underwent RATS after 2015 (OR=0.848, 95% CI: 0.748–0.962, P=0.010). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between both groups in postoperative hospitalization time (SMD=0.003, 95% CI: −0.104–0.110, P=0.957). In addition, more lymph nodes were retrieved in RATS group than VATS (SMD=0.308, 95% CI: 0.131–0.486, P=0.001). However, the conversion rate, retrieved lymph node station, days to tube removal and in-hospital mortality rate have no significant differences between both groups.

Discussion

The current meta-analysis indicates that the perioperative outcomes of RATS and VATS for NSCLC are equivalence. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, the above conclusions still need to be verified by more high-quality studies.