Assessment and Optimisation of Lung Cancer Patients for Treatment with Curative Intent

Multidisciplinary consensus statement on the clinical management of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer

Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a very heterogeneous disease that encompasses patients with resected, potentially resectable and unresectable tumours. To improve the prognostic capacity of the TNM classification, it has been agreed to divide stage III into sub-stages IIIA, IIIB and IIIC that have very different 5-year survival rates (36, 26 and 13%, respectively). Currently, it is considered that both staging and optimal treatment of stage III NSCLC requires the joint work of a multidisciplinary team of expert physicians within the tumour committee. To improve the care of patients with stage III NSCLC, different scientific societies involved in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease have agreed to issue a series of recommendations that can contribute to homogenise the management of this disease, and ultimately to improve patient care.

Clinical analysis of 56 cases of simultaneous bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for bilateral synchronous multiple primary lung adenocarcinoma

Background

Bilateral synchronous multiple primary lung adenocarcinoma (BSMPLA) is a rapidly increasing disease for which timely and accurate treatment is required. We describe our experience which we hope to establish optimal therapeutic options for patients with BSMPLA.

Methods

This study aimed to explore the feasibility and safety of simultaneous bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in 56 patients who received histological diagnoses of BSMPLA at our hospital between January 2016 and January 2018. In this retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes, we observed no serious postoperative complications or perioperative death.

Results

Four and 28 patients respectively underwent bilateral lobectomy and lobectomy with contralateral sublobar resection, whereas the remaining 24 patients underwent bilateral sublobar resection. Sublobar resection means anatomical segmentectomy or wedge resection. The mean postoperative hospital stay duration was 5.39±2.67 days. Postoperative complications comprising persistent air leakage for more than 5 days was observed in 8 (14.2%) of 56 patients. No severe postoperative complications or deaths occurred.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that simultaneous bilateral VATS is feasible, safe, and reproducible. This therapeutic strategy appears to confer considerable benefits on patients with BSMPLA.

Short- and long-term outcomes in elderly patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated using video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy

BACKGROUND

In recent years, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been used to treat locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC). However, VATS has not been reported in elderly patients (≥70 years) with LA-NSCLC. The purpose of this study was to compare short- and long-term outcomes of patients with LA-NSCLC aged ≥70 years and 55-69 years treated with VATS.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From January 2012 to January 2018, a total of 83 patients with LA-NSCLC who were ≥55 years of age underwent VATS. Patients were divided into ≥70 years group (37 cases) and 55-69 years group (46 cases), based on their age at the time of VATS. Short- and long-term outcomes of these two groups of patients were compared.

RESULTS

American Society of Anesthesiologists scores of ≥70 years patients were higher than those of 55-69 years patients. No significant differences were observed when comparing the general preoperative data. For short-term outcomes, there was no significant difference between the two groups of patients in length of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, conversion to thoracotomy, postoperative 30-day complication rate and severity, postoperative 30-day mortality, pathological results, compliance with adjuvant chemotherapy, or other factors. Long-term follow-up results showed that recurrence, overall survival, and disease-free survival were similar in both groups. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that age was not an independent predictor of overall and disease-free survival.

CONCLUSIONS

VATS in elderly patients (≥70 years) with LA-NSCLC can result in short- and long-term outcomes similar to those of 55-69 years patients with LA-NSCLC.