Oncologic Outcomes of Segmentectomy Versus Lobectomy for Clinical T1a N0 M0 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Three-dimensional image reconstruction with free open-source OsiriX software in video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and segmentectomy

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the practice and the feasibility of Osirix, a free and open-source medical imaging software, in performing accurate video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and segmentectomy.

METHODS

From July 2014 to April 2016, 63 patients received anatomical video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), either lobectomy or segmentectomy, in our department. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction images of 61 (96.8%) patients were preoperatively obtained with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Preoperative resection simulations were accomplished with patient-individual reconstructed 3D images. For lobectomy, pulmonary lobar veins, arteries and bronchi were identified meticulously by carefully reviewing the 3D images on the display. For segmentectomy, the intrasegmental veins in the affected segment for division and the intersegmental veins to be preserved were identified on the 3D images. Patient preoperative characteristics, surgical outcomes and postoperative data were reviewed from a prospective database.

RESULTS

The study cohort of 63 patients included 33 (52.4%) men and 30 (47.6%) women, of whom 46 (73.0%) underwent VATS lobectomy and 17 (27.0%) underwent VATS segmentectomy. There was 1 conversion from VATS lobectomy to open thoracotomy because of fibrocalcified lymph nodes. A VATS lobectomy was performed in 1 case after completing the segmentectomy because invasive adenocarcinoma was detected by intraoperative frozen-section analysis. There were no 30-day or 90-day operative mortalities CONCLUSIONS: The free, simple, and user-friendly software program Osirix can provide a 3D anatomic structure of pulmonary vessels and a clear vision into the space between the lesion and adjacent tissues, which allows surgeons to make preoperative simulations and improve the accuracy and safety of actual surgery.

Molecular Imaging and Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer

Precision medicine allows tailoring of preventive or therapeutic interventions to avoid the expense and toxicity of futile treatment given to those who will not respond. Lung cancer is a heterogeneous disease functionally and morphologically. PET is a sensitive molecular imaging technique with a major role in the precision medicine algorithm of patients with lung cancer. It contributes to the precision medicine of lung neoplasia by interrogating tumor heterogeneity throughout the body. It provides anatomofunctional insight during diagnosis, staging, and restaging of the disease. It is a biomarker of tumoral heterogeneity that helps direct selection of the most appropriate treatment, the prediction of early response to cytotoxic and cytostatic therapies, and is a prognostic biomarker in patients with lung cancer.

[Advances in Surgical Treatment of Early Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer]

肺癌是恶性肿瘤患者首位的死亡原因，随着计算机断层扫描（computed tomography, CT）等影像筛查的普及，肺癌的疾病谱正在发生变化，以往以中央型局部晚期肺鳞癌为主，而目前肺癌疾病谱主要为以孤立性肺结节、磨玻璃结节、亚厘米结节等为影像学表现的早期肺腺癌。早期肺癌是目前临床研究的热点，本文将就早期肺癌外科治疗的多个方面进展进行述评。

Therapeutic strategy for small-sized lung cancer

Minimizing the volume of lung resection without diminishing curability has recently become an important issue in primary lung cancer. In this review, we will discuss the current state of the feasibility of sublobar resection and specific issues for a segmentectomy procedure. A previous randomized controlled trial showed that lobectomy must still be considered the standard surgical procedure compared with sublobar resection for T1N0 non-small cell lung cancer with a tumor less than 3 cm in size. Since then, supporting studies for segmentectomy of lung cancer with a tumor less than 2 cm in size were reported. In addition, segmentectomy seems to be feasible for clinical stage I adenocarcinoma less than 2 cm in size, in women younger than 70 years old, with a low tumor 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) standardized uptake value (SUV) from propensity-matching studies. In a meta-analysis of sublobar resection vs. lobectomy, intentionally performed sublobar resection showed equivalent outcomes to lobectomy. In the near future, two ongoing prospective, randomized trials will report results. As specific issues for the surgical procedure of segmentectomy, achieving a sufficient surgical margin is an important issue for preventing loco-regional recurrence. More studies regarding the regional lymph node dissection area for segmentectomy are needed. Sublobar resection has the potential to become the standard procedure for peripheral small-sized lung cancer less than 2 cm. However, more information is needed about the characteristics of this cancer and the surgical procedure, including nodal dissection.