Surgery for early-stage lung cancer: Post-operative 30-day versus 90-day mortality and patient-centred care

Surgical Outcomes for Early Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer at Facilities With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Programs

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing surgery for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be at high risk for postoperative mortality. Access to stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) may facilitate more appropriate patient selection for surgery.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Is postoperative mortality associated with early stage NSCLC lower at facilities with higher use of SBRT?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Patients with early stage NSCLC reported to the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2015 were included. Use of SBRT was defined by each facility's SBRT experience (in years) and SBRT to surgery volume ratios. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test for the associations between SBRT use and postoperative mortality.

RESULTS

The study cohort consisted of 202,542 patients who underwent surgical resection of cT1-T2N0M0 NSCLC tumors. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate declined during the study period from 4.6% to 2.6% (P < .001), the proportion of facilities that used SBRT increased from 4.6% to 77.5% (P < .001), and the proportion of patients treated with SBRT increased from 0.7% to 15.4% (P < .001). On multivariate analysis, lower 90-day postoperative mortality rates were observed at facilities with > 6 years of SBRT experience (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76-0.94; P = .003) and SBRT to surgery volume ratios of more than 17% (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.92; P < .001). Ninety-day mortality also was associated with surgical volume, region, year, age, sex, and race, among other covariates. Interaction testing between these covariates showed negative results.

INTERPRETATION

Patients who underwent resection for early stage NSCLC at facilities with higher SBRT use showed lower rates of postoperative mortality. These findings suggest that the availability and use of SBRT may improve the selection of patients for surgery who are predicted to be at high risk of postoperative mortality.

Do the surgical results in the National Lung Screening Trial reflect modern thoracic surgical practice?

INTRODUCTION

Surgical data from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) has yet to be closely examined. We sought to analyze surgical procedures and complications from the NLST to determine their relevance to modern surgical practice.

METHODS

The NLST database was queried for patients who underwent surgical resection for confirmed lung cancer, specifically evaluating postoperative complications. Numerical variables were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were compared using the χ² test. Logistic regression uni- and multivariable analysis of independent risk factors of postoperative complications was performed.

RESULTS

At operation, 80% of patients (n = 821) had lobectomy, 4.1% (n = 42) had pneumonectomy, and 16.1% (n = 166) had sublobar resection, among whom 69% (n = 114) had wedge resection. Only 29.6% (n = 305) of the cohort had a thoracoscopic resection. Although the overall rate of surgical patients with any complication was 31% (n = 318), only 15.5% of patients (n = 160) had major complications, most commonly prolonged air leaks (n = 67, 6.5%). Respiratory failure (n = 28, 2.7%), prolonged ventilation (n = 9, 0.9%), myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest (n = 7, 0.7%), and stroke (n = 2, 0.2%) were rare events. Overall 30-day mortality in patients undergoing resection was 1.7% (n = 18). On multivariable analysis, greater smoking pack history (odds ratio [OR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001-1.01) and pulmonary comorbidities (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.98-1.82) were significant or approached significance for an association with complications/death, whereas sublobar resection (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38-0.94) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery approach (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.56-1.04) were significant or approached significance for an association with decreased rates of complications/death.

CONCLUSIONS

Operative mortality and postoperative morbidity were very low in patients undergoing resection for screen-detected lung cancer. Increased use of sublobar resection and minimally invasive surgical approaches may be associated with fewer complications.

Is surgery still the optimal treatment for stage I non-small cell lung cancer?

There is debate about what is the optimal treatment for operable stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although surgery has been the standard of care for centuries, recent retrospective and prospective randomized studies indicated that stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) could be an option for this group of patients with similar survival and less toxicities. However, to change the standard of care, more studies are needed and participating ongoing larger randomized studies is the best approach to resolve this controversy.

Measuring the population impact of introducing stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer in Canada

BACKGROUND

The Cancer Risk Management Model (CRMM) was used to estimate the health and economic impact of introducing stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Canada.

METHODS

The CRMM uses Monte Carlo microsimulation representative of all Canadians. Lung cancer outputs were previously validated internally (Statistics Canada) and externally (Canadian Cancer Registry). We updated costs using the Ontario schedule of fees and benefits or the consumer price index to calculate 2013 Canadian dollars, discounted at a 3% rate. The reference model assumed that for stage I NSCLC, 75% of patients undergo surgery (lobectomy, sublobar resection, or pneumonectomy), 12.5% undergo radiotherapy (RT), and 12.5% undergo best supportive care (BSC). SABR was introduced in 2008 as an alternative to sublobar resection, RT, and BSC at rates reflective of the literature. Incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated; a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 (all amounts are in Canadian dollars) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) was used from the health care payer perspective.

RESULTS

The total cost for 25,085 new cases of lung cancer in 2013 was calculated to be $608,002,599. Mean upfront costs for the 4,318 stage I cases were $7,646.98 for RT, $8,815.55 for SABR, $12,161.17 for sublobar resection, $16,266.12 for lobectomy, $22,940.59 for pneumonectomy, and $14,582.87 for BSC. SABR dominated (higher QALY, lower cost) RT, sublobar resection, and BSC. RT had lower initial costs than SABR that were offset by subsequent costs associated with recurrence. Lobectomy was cost effective when compared with SABR, with an ICER of $55,909.06.

CONCLUSION

The use of SABR for NSCLC in Canada is projected to result in significant cost savings and survival gains.