[Clinical outcome after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for clinical stage I lung cancer with pathologically nodal involvement].

The lymph node dissection with video-assisted thoracic surgery( VATS) was technically feasible and the remnant lymph nodes and tissues were 2% to 3%, which seems acceptable for clinical stage I lung cancer. Surgical outcome after VATS for clinical stage I lung cancer with pathologically nodal involvement, however, remains unclear. Medical records of 72 patients who had clinical stage I non small cell lung cancer with pathologically nodal involvement( pN1:21 patients, pN2:51 patients) and underwent VATS lobectomy or segmentectomy with mediastinal dissection between January 2005 and December 2010, were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative recurrence and survival were studied. Remnant nodal recurrence occurred in 8 patients with pN1 (recurrence rate 38%) and 15 patients with pN2 (recurrence rate 29%). The 1- and 3-year disease free survival rate was 87% and 68%. The 1- and 3-year survival rate was 100% and 79%. This study suggested that VATS is acceptable for patients with clinical stage I lung in terms of survival rate, cancer with pN1. In a view point of remnant nodal recurrence, a more skillful dissection procedure is required.