Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy for c-T1N0M0 primary lung cancer: its impact on locoregional control.

BACKGROUND: The outcomes of a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy for lung cancer, with a special focus on its locoregional control, were compared with a conventional lobectomy.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 160 patients who had undergone a lobectomy either by means of thoracoscopic surgery (n = 81) or a standard thoracotomy (n = 79) for clinical T1N0M0 nonsmall-cell lung cancer. The overall, disease-free, and locoregional recurrence-free survival were compared. In a separate multivariate analysis, the ability of numerous clinical and surgical factors, including the surgical approach, to predict locoregional recurrence was investigated.

RESULTS: The total recurrence of the primary disease occurred in 28 cases (12 locoregional and 14 distant). In the 12 documented local recurrences, 8 belonged to the thoracoscopic surgery group and 4 were in the standard thoracotomy group, without significant differences (p = 0.229). The overall 5-year survival rates associated with the thoracoscopic and standard procedure were 89.1% and 77.7%, respectively (p = 0.149). No significant differences in the disease-free or locoregional recurrence-free survivals were observed between the groups. The results of a multivariate analysis for the incidence of total and locoregional recurrence demonstrated that two covariates, lymph node metastasis and the surgical side (right or left lung), were significant factors for both total and locoregional recurrence. No significant relationship was found between thoracoscopic surgery or standard thoracotomy, and the incidence of locoregional recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that thoracoscopic surgery is not inferior regarding its ability to achieve locoregional control in comparison with the standard procedure.