Nodal Upstaging Evaluation After Robotic-Assisted Lobectomy for Early-Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Compared to Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery and Thoracotomy: A Retrospective Single Center Analysis

Surgeon experience does not influence nodal upstaging during vats lobectomy: Results from a large prospective national database

BACKGROUND

Despite recent improvement in preoperative staging, nodal and mediastinal upstaging occur in about 5% to 15% of cN0 patients. Different clinical and tumor characteristics are associated with upstaging, whereas the role of the surgeon's experience is not well evaluated. This study aimed to investigate if operator experience might influence nodal upstaging during video-assisted thoracic surgery anatomical lung resection.

METHODS

Clinical and pathological data from the prospective video-assisted thoracic surgery Italian nationwide registry were reviewed and analyzed. Patients with incomplete data about tumor and surgical characteristics, ground glass opacities tumors, cN2 to 3, and M+ were excluded. Clinical data, tumor characteristics, and surgeon experience were correlated to nodal and mediastinal (N2) upstaging using Pearson's χ2 statistic or Fisher exact test for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U and t tests for quantitative variables. A multivariable model was built using logistic regression analysis. Surgeon experience was categorized considering the number of video-assisted thoracic surgery major anatomical resections and years after residency.

RESULTS

Final analysis was conducted on 3,319 cN0 patients for nodal upstaging and 3,471 cN0N1 patients for N2 upstaging. Clinical tumor-nodes-metastasis stage was stage I in 2,846 (81.9%) patients, stage II in 533 (15.3%), and stage III (cT3N1) in 92 (2.8%). Nodal upstaging occurred in 489 (13.1%) patients, whereas N2 upstaging occurred in 229 (6.1%) patients. Years after residency (P = .60 for nodal, P = .13 for N2 upstaging) and a number of video-assisted thoracic surgery procedures(P = .49 for nodal, P = .72 for nodal upstaging) did not correlate with upstaging. Multivariable analysis confirmed cT-dimension (P = .001), solid nodules (P < .001), clinical tumor-nodes-metastasis (P < .001) and maximum standardized uptake values (P < .001) as factors independently correlated to nodal upstaging, whereas cT-dimension (P = .005), clinical tumor-nodes-metastasis (P < .001) and maximum standardized uptake values (P = .028) resulted independently correlated to N2 upstaging.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that surgeon experience did not influence nodal and mediastinal upstaging during -assisted thoracic surgery anatomical resection, whereas cT-dimension, clinical tumor-nodes-metastasis, and maximum standardized uptake values resulted independently correlated to nodal and mediastinal upstaging.

Robotic Anatomical Pulmonary Resections: An Australian Experience

BACKGROUND

Robotic thoracic surgery is a minimally invasive technique that allows the surgeon to perform delicate, accurate surgical manoeuvres within the chest cavity without rib spreading. Previous studies have suggested potential benefits of the robotic platform in nodal upstaging due to its versatility, seven degrees of freedom of movement, and superior vision. However, there is currently a paucity of robust clinical data from Australia.

AIMS

This study aimed to assess the perioperative safety and oncological efficacy of anatomical pulmonary resections performed using the robotic platform. Endpoints included mortality and major morbidity outcomes according to Clavien-Dindo classification and rate of pathological nodal upstaging compared with preoperative imaging using positron emission tomography.

METHODS

A single-surgeon retrospective analysis was performed using data collected from two institutions from July 2021 to May 2022, after ethics committee approval. Consecutive patients who underwent anatomical robotic resections were included in the study, with subsequent analysis of patients who had confirmed primary lung cancer.

RESULTS

A total of 52 patients underwent robotic anatomical pulmonary resection during the study period. Safety was demonstrated by 0% mortality and a 9.6% major complication rate, which was related to chest tube insertion for prolonged air leak or intensive care unit monitoring during treatment of atrial arrhythmia. After excluding patients who did not have primary lung cancer, 48 patients remained for further analysis; pathological nodal upstaging was observed in nine (18.8%) of these patients. On multivariate analysis, the total number of lymph nodes harvested was found to be a statistically significant predictor of nodal upstaging. Complete microscopic resection (R0) was achieved in 100% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

This study represents the most extensive documentation of robotic thoracic procedures in Australia in the existing literature. It demonstrated a satisfactory safety profile with a relatively high rate of nodal upstaging, possibly reflecting the ability of the robotic instruments to perform comprehensive and complete nodal resection at the time of anatomical pulmonary resection.

Robotic Lobectomy Is Cost-effective and Provides Comparable Health Utility Scores to Video-assisted Lobectomy: Early Results of the RAVAL Trial

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine if robotic-assisted lobectomy (RPL-4) is cost-effective and offers improved patient-reported health utility for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer when compared with video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy (VATS-lobectomy).

BACKGROUND

Barriers against the adoption of RPL-4 in publicly funded health care include the paucity of high-quality prospective trials and the perceived high cost of robotic surgery.

METHODS

Patients were enrolled in a blinded, multicentered, randomized controlled trial in Canada, the United States, and France, and were randomized 1:1 to either RPL-4 or VATS-lobectomy. EuroQol 5 Dimension 5 Level (EQ-5D-5L) was administered at baseline and postoperative day 1; weeks 3, 7, 12; and months 6 and 12. Direct and indirect costs were tracked using standard methods. Seemingly Unrelated Regression was applied to estimate the cost effect, adjusting for baseline health utility. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was generated by 10,000 bootstrap samples with multivariate imputation by chained equations.

RESULTS

Of 406 patients screened, 186 were randomized, and 164 analyzed after the final eligibility review (RPL-4: n=81; VATS-lobectomy: n=83). Twelve-month follow-up was completed by 94.51% (155/164) of participants. The median age was 68 (60-74). There were no significant differences in body mass index, comorbidity, pulmonary function, smoking status, baseline health utility, or tumor characteristics between arms. The mean 12-week health utility score was 0.85 (0.10) for RPL-4 and 0.80 (0.19) for VATS-lobectomy ( P =0.02). Significantly more lymph nodes were sampled [10 (8-13) vs 8 (5-10); P =0.003] in the RPL-4 arm. The incremental cost/quality-adjusted life year of RPL-4 was $14,925.62 (95% CI: $6843.69, $23,007.56) at 12 months.

CONCLUSION

Early results of the RAVAL trial suggest that RPL-4 is cost-effective and associated with comparable short-term patient-reported health utility scores when compared with VATS-lobectomy.

RoboticAssisted (RATS) versus Video-Assisted (VATS) lobectomy: A monocentric prospective randomized trial

INTRODUCTION

The study aim is to compare Video-Assisted (VATS) and Robotic-Assisted (RATS) lobectomy in the effort to identify advantages and limits of robotic procedures considering the high costs and specific surgeon training.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a monocentric prospective randomized trial in which patients suitable for mini-invasive lobectomy were randomized 1:2 in two groups: Group A, RATS (25 patients), and Group B, VATS (50 patients). The two groups were compared in terms of perioperative and postoperative results with a mean follow up of 37.9 (±10.9) months.

RESULTS

We observed a significant reduction of pleural effusion on day 1 (140 ml vs 214, p = 0.003) and day 2 (186 vs 321, p = 0.001) for group A. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) showed significantly lower pain in the 1st p.o. day in group A (0,92 vs 1,17, p = 0,005). Surgery time in Group B was significantly lower (160 min vs 180, p = 0.036), but had a higher onset of atrial fibrillation and other cardiac arrhythmias (0/25 vs 9/50, p = 0.038). The OS and DFS were similar between the two groups (95.5 % vs 93.1 %, and 95.5 % vs 89.7 %, respectively). Furthermore, no statistical difference in the evaluation of quality of life during follow-up was found.

CONCLUSIONS

The RATS approach, although burdened by higher surgical costs, constitutes a valid alternative to VATS; as it determines a lower inflammatory insult, with a consequent reduction in pleural effusion, less post-operative pain and cardiological comorbidities for the patient, it can potentially determine the shortening in hospitalization. In addition, RATS allows accurate lymph node dissection, which permit to reach results that are not inferior to VATS in terms of long-term outcomes.

Analysis of predictive factors of unforeseen nodal metastases in resected clinical stage I NSCLC

Background

Despite notable advances made in preoperative staging, unexpected nodal metastases after surgery are still significantly detected. In this study we aim to analyze the upstaging rate in patients with clinical stage I NSCLC without evidence of nodal disease in the preoperative staging who underwent lobectomy and radical lymphadenectomy.

Methods

Patients who underwent lobectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy for clinical stage I NSCLC were evaluated. Exclusion criteria included the neoadjuvant treatment, incomplete resection and no adherence to preoperative guidelines.

Results

A total of 297 patients were included in the study. 159 patients were female, and the median age was 68 (61 - 73). The variables that showed a significant correlation with the upstaging rate at the univariate analysis were the number of resected lymph nodes and micropapillar/solid adenocar-cinoma subtype. This result was confirmed in the multivariate analysis with a OR= 2.545 (95%CI 1.136-5.701; p=0.02) for the number of resected lymph nodes and a OR=2.717 (95%CI 1.256-5.875; p=0.01) for the high-grade pattern of adenocarcinoma.

Conclusion

Our results showed that in a homogeneous cohort of patients with clinical stage I NSCLC, the number of resected lymph nodes and the histological subtype of adenocarcinoma can significantly be associated with nodal metastasis.

Robotic versus Open Surgery in Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Evaluation of Surgical and Oncological Outcomes

Locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) consists of a heterogeneous group, with different pulmonary extension and lymph nodal involvement. Robotic surgery can play a key role in these tumours thanks to its technological features, although open surgery is still considered the gold-standard approach. Our study aims to evaluate the surgical and oncological outcomes of locally advanced NSCLC patients who underwent robotic surgery in a high-volume centre. Data from consecutive patients with locally advanced NSCLC who underwent robotic lobectomy were retrospectively analysed and compared with patients treated with open surgery. Clinical characteristics and surgical and oncological information were evaluated. From 2010 to 2020, 131 patients underwent anatomical lung resection for locally advanced NSCLC. A total of 61 patients were treated with robotic surgery (46.6%); the median hospitalization time was 5.9 days (range 2-27) and the postoperative complication rate was 18%. Open surgery was performed in 70 patients (53.4%); the median length of stay was 9 days (range 4-48) and the postoperative complication rate was 22.9%. The median follow-up time was 70 months. The 5-year overall survival was 34% in the robotic group and 31% in the thoracotomy group. Robotic surgery can be considered safe and feasible not only for early stages but also for the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC.

Multimodal evaluation of locoregional anaesthesia efficacy on postoperative pain after robotic pulmonary lobectomy for NSCLC: a pilot study

The primary objectives of the study were to analyse the robotic approach and ultrasound-guided paravertebral block compared to thoracoscopic intercostal nerve block after robotic pulmonary lobectomy on postoperative pain and opioids use. The secondary objectives were to analyse and compare patients' necessity of additional antalgic drugs and patients' performance during respiratory therapy, following robotic surgery and in the two groups. Consecutively, 52 patients undergoing robotic pulmonary lobectomies were treated either with ropivacaine-based intercostal nerve block or paravertebral block from February 2022 to October 2022. When necessary, morphine was administered at day 1. Acetaminophen was administered as an additional antalgic drug on demand up to 3 g per day. Pain was measured 1 h after the end of the surgical procedure and daily through the pain numeric rating scale (NRS). Morphine administration rate and per day and total additional administrations of acetaminophen were recorded. Pain and opioids administration was measured 1 month after the procedure. Data were analysed in the overall population and in the intercostal nerve block group VS paravertebral block group. Overall, 34.6% of the patients required morphine administration and 51.7% of the patients required at least daily acetaminophen administration up to discharge. At 1 month postoperatively, four patients presented with chronic pain and one still was under opioid medication. At intergroup analysis, the paravertebral block group demonstrated lower NRS at fixed time points (p < 0.0001) and lower morphine consumption (45.7%VS11.8%; p = 0.02). Acetaminophen rescue administration at fixed time points was lower in the paravertebral block group (p < 0.0001) and mobility and dynamic pain resulted in better results (p = 0.03; p = 0.04). At 1 month, no differences were found between study groups. Similarly to other minimally invasive techniques, postoperative pain may arise after robotic pulmonary lobectomy. Paravertebral bloc can help to reduce postoperative pain as well as morphine and antalgic drugs administration and improve early mobilization.

Robotic Lobectomy without Complete Fissure for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Technical Aspects and Perioperative Outcomes of the Tunnel Technique

Even though the use of the "fissure-last" technique in mini-invasive lobectomy with the fissureless condition is well accepted, in terms of perioperative outcomes, controversies still surround the hilar lymph node dissection. In this article, we reported a description of the robotic "tunnel technique" approach in the right upper lobectomy in the absence of a defined fissure. We then compared the short terms outcomes of 30 consecutive cases treated using this technique, with 30 patients treated using the "fissure last" VATS approach in the same institution, before the start of the robotic surgery program.

Approaches and outcomes of Robotic-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (RATS) for lung cancer: a narrative review

Robotic-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (RATS) is considered one of the main issues of present thoracic surgery. RATS is a minimally invasive surgical technique allowing enhanced view, accurate and complex movements, and high ergonomics for the surgeon. Despite these advantages, its application in lung procedures has been limited, mainly by its costs. Since now many different approaches have been proposed and the experience in RATS for lungs ranges from wedge resection to pneumonectomy and is mainly related to lung cancer. The present narrative review explores main approaches and outcomes of RATS lobectomy for lung cancer. A non-systematic review of literature was conducted using the PubMed search engine. An overview of lung robotic surgery is given, and main approaches of robotic lobectomy for lung cancer are exposed. Initial experiences of biportal and uniportal RATS are also described. So far, retrospective analysis reported satisfactory robotic operative outcomes, and comparison with VATS might suggest a more accurate lymphadenectomy. Some Authors might even suggest better perioperative outcomes too. From an oncological standpoint, no definitive prospective study has yet been published but several retrospective analyses report oncological outcomes comparable to those of VATS and open surgery. Literature suggests that RATS for lung procedures is safe and effective and should be considered as a valid additional surgical option.

Robotic lung resection: a narrative review of the current role on primary lung cancer treatment

Background and Objective

Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) has increasingly been applied to primary lung cancer treatment. Given the many facilities provided by the robotic platform in the manipulation of tissues and precision of movements, there is continuous enquiring about its contribution to the improvement of surgical outcomes. Also, the possibility to perform complex resections in a minimally invasive way using a robotic approach starts to become possible as the centers' learning curve expands. We propose to perform a review of the current status of robotic surgery for lung cancer focusing on key frontier points: sublobar resections, quality of lymphadenectomy, complex resections, postoperative outcomes, and innovative technologies to arrive.

Methods

We performed a narrative review of the literature aggregating the most current references available in English.

Key Content and Findings

According to the current data, the flourishing of the robotic platform seems to be in line with the spread of sublobar resections. The technological benefits inherent to the platform, also seem to promote an increase in the quality of lymphadenectomy and a shorter learning curve when compared to video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) with equivalent oncological results. Its application in complex resections such as bronchial sleeve already presents consistent results and new technology acquisitions such as three-dimensional reconstructions, augmented reality and artificial intelligence tend to be implemented collaborating with the digitization of surgery.

Conclusions

Robotic surgery for lung cancer resection is at least equivalent to the VATS approach considering the currently available literature. However, more practice time and prospective clinical trials are needed to identify more exact benefits.

Perioperative outcomes of robotic lobectomy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer in elderly patients

Introduction

Minimally invasive surgery has become the standard for the early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The appropriateness of the kind of lung resection for the elderly patients is still debated.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed patients with older than 75 years who underwent robotic lobectomy between May 2016 to June 2022. We selected 103 patients who met the inclusion criteria of the study. The preoperative cardiorespiratory functional evaluations were collected, and the risk of postoperative complications was calculated according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index, the American College of Surgery surgical risk calculator (ACS-NSQIP), EVAD score, and American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score. The patients were divided in two groups according to the presence of postoperative complications.

Results

Forty-three patients were female, and 72.8% of the total population were former or active smokers. Thirty-five patients reported postoperative complications. The analysis of the two groups showed that the predicted postoperative forced expiratory volumes in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were significantly lower in patients presenting postoperative complications (p=0.04). Moreover, the upstaging rate and the unexpected nodal metastases were higher in the postoperative complication groups.

Conclusion

Robotic-assisted lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer is a safe and feasible approach in selected elderly patients. The factors that could predict the complication rate was the predicted postoperative FEV1 and the nodal disease.

Perioperative and Oncological Outcomes of Robotic-Assisted, Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic and Open Lobectomy for Patients with N1-Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Propensity Score-Matched Study

(1) Background: Despite the fact that robotic-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy (RATL) has been prevalently applied for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), its superiorities are still to be fully revealed for patients with metastatic N1 lymph nodes (LNs). We aim to evaluate the advantages of RATL for N1 NSCLC. (2) Methods: This retrospective study identified consecutive pathological N1 NSCLC patients undergoing RATL, video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy (VATL), or open lobectomy (OL) in Shanghai Chest Hospital between 2014 and 2020. Further, perioperative and oncological outcomes were investigated. (3) Results: A total of 855 cases (70 RATL, 435 VATL, and 350 OL) were included. Propensity score matching resulted in 70, 140, and 140 cases in the RATL, VATL, and OL groups, respectively. RATL led to (1) the shortest surgical time (p = 0.005) and lowest intraoperative blood loss (p < 0.001); (2) the shortest ICU (p < 0.001) and postsurgical hospital (p < 0.001) stays as well as chest tube duration (p < 0.001); and (3) the lowest morbidities of postsurgical complications (p = 0.016). Moreover, RATL dissected more N1 (p = 0.027), more N1 + N2 (p = 0.027) LNs, and led to a higher upstaging incidence rate (p < 0.050) than VATL. Finally, RATL achieved a comparable 5-year disease-free and overall survival in relation to VATL and OL. (4) Conclusions: RATL led to the most optimal perioperative outcomes among the three surgical approaches and showed superiority in assessing N1 and total LNs over VATL, though it did achieve comparable oncological outcomes in relation to VATL and OL for N1 NSCLC patients.

Propensity score-matched comparison of robotic- and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and open lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer patients aged 75 years or older

Introduction

Although robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) has been widely applied in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), its advantages remain unclear for very old patients. The present study compared the perioperative outcomes and survival profiles among RATS, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and open lobectomy (OL), aiming to access the superiority of RATS for NSCLC patients aged ≥75 years.

Methods

Pathological IA-IIIB NSCLC patients aged ≥75 years who underwent RATS, VATS, or OL between June 2015 and June 2021 in Shanghai Chest Hospital were included. Propensity score matching (PSM, 1:1:1 RATS versus VATS versus OL) was based on 10 key prognostic factors. The primary endpoints were perioperative outcomes, and the secondary endpoints were disease-free (DFS), overall (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CS).

Results

A total of 504 cases (126 RATS, 200 VATS, and 178 OL) were enrolled, and PSM led to 97 cases in each group. The results showed that RATS led to: 1) the best surgical-related outcomes including the shortest operation duration (p <0.001) and the least blood loss (p <0.001); 2) the fastest postoperative recoveries including the shortest ICU stay (p = 0.004), chest tube drainage duration (p <0.001), and postoperative stay (p <0.001), and the most overall costs (p <0.001); 3) the lowest incidence of postoperative complications (p = 0.002), especially pneumonia (p <0.001). There was no difference in the resection margins, reoperation rates, intraoperative blood transfusion, and volume of chest tube drainage among the three groups. Moreover, RATS assessed more N1 (p = 0.009) and total (p = 0.007) lymph nodes (LNs) than VATS, while the three surgical approaches dissected similar numbers of N1, N2, and total LN stations and led to a comparable incidence of postoperative nodal upstaging. Finally, the three groups possessed comparable DFS, OS, and CS rates. Further subgroup analysis found no difference in DFS or OS among the three groups, and multivariable analysis showed that the surgical approach was not independently correlated with survival profiles.

Conclusion

RATS possessed the superiority in achieving better perioperative outcomes over VATS and OL in very old NSCLC patients, though the three surgical approaches achieved comparable survival outcomes.

Fluorescence-guided lung nodule identification during minimally invasive lung resections

In the last few years, minimally invasive surgery has become the standard routine practice to manage lung nodules. Particularly in the case of robotic thoracic surgery, the identification of the lung nodules that do not surface on the visceral pleura could be challenging. Therefore, together with the evolution of surgical instruments to provide the best option in terms of invasiveness, lung nodule localization techniques should be improved to achieve the best outcomes in terms of safety and sensibility. In this review, we aim to overview all principal techniques used to detect the lung nodules that do not present the visceral pleura retraction. We investigate the accuracy of fluorescence guided thoracic surgery in nodule detection and the differences among the most common tracers used.

Updated Evaluation of Robotic- and Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Lobectomy or Segmentectomy for Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) are the two principal minimally invasive surgical approaches for patients with lung cancer. This study aimed at comparing the long-term and short-term outcomes of RATS and VATS for lung cancer.

Methods

A comprehensive search for studies that compared RATS versus VATS for lung cancer published until November 31, 2021, was conducted. Data on perioperative outcomes and oncologic outcomes were subjected to meta-analysis. PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched based on a defined search strategy to identify eligible studies before November 2021.

Results

Twenty-six studies comparing 45,733 patients (14,271 and 31,462 patients who underwent RATS and VATS, respectively) were included. The present meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences in operative time, any complications, tumor size, chest drain duration, R0 resection rate, lymph station, 5-year overall survival, and recurrence rate. However, compared with the VATS group, the RATS group had less blood loss, a lower conversion rate to open, a shorter length of hospital stay, more lymph node dissection, and better 5-year disease-free survival.

Conclusions

RATS is a safe and feasible alternative to VATS for patients with lung cancer.

Oncological Outcomes of Robotic Lobectomy and Radical Lymphadenectomy for Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background: While the thoracotomy approach was considered the gold standard until two decades ago, robotic surgery has increasingly strengthened its role in lung cancer treatment, improving patients’ peri-operative outcomes. In this study, we report our experience in robotic lobectomy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, with particular attention to oncological outcomes and nodal upstaging rate. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent lobectomy and radical lymphadenectomy at our Institute between 2016 and 2020. We selected 299 patients who met the inclusion criteria of the study. We analyzed the demographic features of the groups as well as their nodal upstaging rate after pathological examination. Then, we analyzed disease-free and overall survival of the entire enrolled patient population and we compared the same oncological outcomes in the upstaging and the non-upstaging group. Results: A total of 299 patients who underwent robotic lobectomy were enrolled. After surgery, 55 patients reported nodal hilar or mediastinal upstaging. The 3-year overall survival of the entire population was 82.8%. The upstaging group and the non-upstaging group were homogeneous for age, gender, smoking habits, clinical stage, tumor site, tumor histology. The non-upstaging group had better OS (p = 0.004) and DFS (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Our results show that robotic surgery is a safe and feasible approach for the treatment of early-stage NSCLC, especially for its accuracy in mediastinal lymphadenectomy. The oncological outcomes were encouraging and consistent with previous findings.