When Is It Safe to Operate for Lung Cancer? Selection of Fiscally Responsible Cardiopulmonary Function Tests for Limited Resection (Wedge Resection and Segmentectomy), Standard Lobectomy, Sleeve Lobectomy, and Pneumonectomy

Outcomes and pulmonary function after sleeve lobectomy compared with pneumonectomy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Sleeve lobectomy is recommended to avoid pneumonectomy and preserve pulmonary function in patients with central lung cancer. However, the relationship between postoperative pulmonary functional loss and resected lung parenchyma volume has not been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pulmonary function and lung volume in patients undergoing sleeve lobectomy or pneumonectomy.

METHODS

A total of 61 lung cancer patients who had undergone pneumonectomy or sleeve lobectomy were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 20 patients performed pulmonary function tests, including vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) tests, preoperatively and then about 6 months after surgery. VC and FEV1 ratios were calculated (measured postoperative respiratory function/predicted postoperative respiratory function) as the standardized pulmonary functional loss ratio.

RESULTS

Thirty-day operation-related mortality was significantly lower after sleeve lobectomy (3.2%) than pneumonectomy (9.6%). The 5-year relapse-free survival rate was 46.67% versus 29.03%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 63.33% versus 38.71% in patients receiving sleeve lobectomy versus pneumonectomy. The VC ratio in the pneumonectomy group was better than in the sleeve lobectomy group (1.003 ± 0.117 vs. 0.779 ± 0.12; p = 0.0008), as was the FEV1 ratio (1.132 ± 0.226 vs. 0.851 ± 0.063; p = 0.0038).

CONCLUSIONS

Both short-term and long-term outcomes were better with sleeve lobectomy than pneumonectomy. However, actual postoperative pulmonary function after pneumonectomy may be better than clinicians expect, and pneumonectomy should still be considered a treatment option for patients with sufficient pulmonary reserve and in whom sleeve lobectomy is less likely to be curative.

Prognostic Impact of Postoperative Complications in High-Risk Operable Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Background

Patients with high-risk (HR) operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may have unique prognostic factors. This study aimed to evaluate surgical outcomes in HR patients and to investigate prognostic factors in HR patients versus standard-risk (SR) patients.

Methods

In total, 471 consecutive patients who underwent curative lung resection for NSCLC between January 2012 and December 2017 were identified and reviewed retrospectively. Patients were classified into HR (n=77) and SR (n=394) groups according to the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group criteria (Z4099 trial). Postoperative complications were defined as those of grade 2 or higher by the Clavien-Dindo classification.

Results

The HR group comprised more men and older patients, had poorer lung function, and had more comorbidities than the SR group. The patients in the HR group also experienced more postoperative complications (p≤0.001). More HR patients died without disease recurrence. The postoperative complication rate was the only significant prognostic factor in multivariable Cox regression analysis for HR patients but not SR patients. HR patients without postoperative complications had a survival rate similar to that of SR patients.

Conclusion

The overall postoperative survival of HR patients with NSCLC was more strongly affected by postoperative complications than by any other prognostic factor. Care should be taken to minimize postoperative complications, especially in HR patients.