Is video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery a feasible approach for clinical N0 and postoperatively pathological N2 non-small cell lung cancer?

OBJECTIVE

It remains controversial whether video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) major pulmonary resection (VMPR) with systematic node dissection (SND) is a feasible approach for clinical N0 and pathological N2 non-small cell lung cancer (cN0-pN2 NSCLC). We compared the clinical outcome of patients who underwent VMPR with SND for cN0-pN2 NSCLC with the outcome of patients who underwent MPR with SND by thoracotomy. We conducted this study to determine the feasibility of VMPR for cN0 and pN2 NSCLC patients and intraoperative node staging by node sampling.

METHODS

Between 1997 and 2006, 770 patients underwent MPR with SND for NSCLC, wherein 450 patients had VMPR and 320 were subjected to open thoracotomy. There were 673 clinical N0 patients. Among them, we retrospectively reviewed 69 patients (10.3%) with cN0-pN2 NSCLC of which the greatest tumor dimension ranged from 20 to 50mm. These patients were divided into two groups: 37 patients under group V, who underwent VMPR, and 32 patients under group T, who underwent MPR by thoracotomy, for cN0-pN2 NSCLC. The majority of the patients underwent postoperative chemotherapy.

RESULTS

There were no differences between the two groups regarding preoperative data or the number of nodes dissected. The rate of nodal metastasis (number of metastatic nodes/number of dissected nodes) was similar between the two groups (group V vs group T, 0.24 vs 0.24 in total nodes dissected, 0.24 vs 0.23 in mediastinal nodes dissected). The 3-year and 5-year recurrence-free survivals were similar (60.9% vs 49.6% and 60.9% vs 49.6%), as well. Most of the pattern of recurrence was due to remote metastasis. In like manner, the 3-year and 5-year survivals were similar (67.6% vs 57.7% and 45.4% vs 41.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that VMPR with SND is a feasible surgical therapy for cN0-pN2 NSCLC without loss of curability. It is unnecessary to convert the VATS approach to thoracotomy in order to do SND even if pN2 disease is revealed during VMPR.