Lymph Node Dissection Is a Risk Factor for Short-Term Cough after Pulmonary Resection

Interest of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in predicting postoperatives complications after lung resection: LCQ-SURGE

Background

Postoperative complications may occur after major lung surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The main objective of this study was to assess the relevance of preoperative Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) to predict postoperative complications after major lung resection for any indication.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in the Thoracic Surgery Department of Rouen University Hospital from November 21st, 2022, to June 2nd, 2023. Patients aged ≥18 years who underwent major lung resection for any indications and filled an LCQ self-questionnaire were included.

Results

Seventy-one patients were eligible for our study. One patient was lost to follow-up upon hospital discharge. Nineteen (27.1%) postoperative complications of grade ≥2 according to the Clavien-Dindo classification were observed. The mean LCQ total score was 18.11±2.56. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the LCQ result to predict postoperative complications of grade ≥2 within 30 days following the surgical intervention was 0.60 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45, 0.75].

Conclusions

This study failed to demonstrate the relevance of a preoperative LCQ to predict postoperative complications after major lung surgery. However, the statistical precision of this study was insufficient to show a moderate predictive performance. Further studies conducted in larger populations are needed.

Persistent cough after pulmonary resection: Minor issue, major hurdle

Background

Persistent cough is one of the most common complications following pulmonary resection, that impairs patients' quality of life and prolongs recovery time. However, a comprehensive review of persistent cough after pulmonary resection (CAP) has not been performed.

Methods

A literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Embase database was conducted for persistent-CAP up to June 2023. Subsequent qualitative systematic review focused on definition, risk factors, prevention, and treatment of persistent-CAP.

Results

Persistent-CAP stands as a prevalent postoperative complication subsequent to pulmonary resection procedures. with an incidence of 24.4-55.0 %. Although persistent-CAP has a minor impact on survival, this condition is of critical importance because it presents a major hurdle in recovery after surgery. In this review, we proposed a systemic definition for persistent-CAP based on available evidence and our own data. Several assessment tools used to assess severity of persistent-CAP are also introduced. Risk factors associated with persistent-CAP are explored, including surgical approaches, resection extent, surgical site, lymph node dissection, postoperative gastroesophageal acid reflux, tracheal intubation anesthesia, preoperative comorbidity, and sex among others. Surgical and anesthesia preventions targeting risk factors to prevent persistent-CAP are elaborated. A number of studies have shown that a multidisciplinary approach can effectively relieve persistent-CAP.

Conclusions

Although the mechanisms underlying persistent-CAP are still unclear, existing studies demonstrated that persistent-CAP is related to surgical and anesthesia factors. Therefore, in the future, prevention and treatment should be developed based on risk factors to overcome the hurdle of persistent-CAP.

Analysis of the Trends and Influencing Factors for Postoperative Cough in Patients with Esophageal Cancer Based on Patient-Reported Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Cough is a common symptom that affects patients' recovery and quality of life after esophagectomy. This study sought to investigate trends in postoperative cough and the factors that influence cough.

METHODS

A total of 208 of 225 patients were enrolled in this study. The Mandarin Chinese version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire was administered the day before surgery and at three time points (1 week, 1 month, and 3 months) after esophagectomy to assess patient-reported outcomes.

RESULTS

All patients' LCQ-MC scores after surgery were lower than presurgery (P < 0.05), with the lowest score found 1 week after esophagectomy. Factors associated with a cough 1 week after surgery included clinical stage of cancer (OR 0.782, 95% CI 0.647-0.944, P = 0.011), anastomotic position (OR 1.241, 95% CI 1.069-1.441, P = 0.005), duration of surgery (OR 0.759, 95% CI 0.577-0.998, P = 0.049), and subcarinal lymph node dissection (OR 0.682, 95% CI 0.563-0.825, P < 0.001). Factors associated with a cough one month after surgery included clinical stage (OR 0.782, 95% CI 0.650-0.940, P = 0.009), anastomotic position (OR 1.293, 95% CI 1.113-1.503, P = 0.001), and maintaining a semi-reclining position (OR 1.440, 95% CI 1.175-1.766, P < 0.001). Factors associated with a cough 3 months after surgery were clinical stage (OR 0.741, 95% CI 0.591-0.928, P = 0.009) and anastomotic position (OR 1.220, 95% CI 1.037-1.435, P = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that the factors influencing postoperative cough differed over time following esophagectomy. These results may warrant prospective intervention to better manage patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer to prevent postoperative cough.

Comparison Results of Three-Port Robot-Assisted and Uniportal Video-Assisted Lobectomy for Functional Recovery Index in the Treatment of Early Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive lobectomy is the standard treatment for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study is to investigate postoperative recovery in a prospective trial of discharged patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer undergoing robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) versus uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (UVATS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a prospective and observational study. From 9 September 2022 to 1 July 2023, 178 patients diagnosed with NSCLC admitted to the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Shandong Provincial Hospital signed informed consent and underwent lobectomy by RATS and UVATS. The functional recovery index included MD Anderson Symptom Inventory, Christensen Fatigue Scale, EORTC QLQ-C30, and Leicester Cough Questionnaire.

RESULTS

After propensity score-matched analysis, each group included 42 cases. For the baseline characteristics of patients, operation time (p = 0.01) and length of stay (p = 0.04) were shorter in the RATS group. The number of lymph nodes resected in the RATS group was much more than in the UVATS group. According to our investigation, appetite loss, nausea, diarrhea, and cough severity after RATS were better than after UVATS. After the first week, pain severity degree of the RATS group was higher than UVATS, while there was no difference during the second and third week. The physical score of the RATS group was higher than the UVATS group (p = 0.04), according to the Leicester Cough Questionnaire.

CONCLUSION

RATS was associated with severe short-term postoperative pain but less postoperative complications.

[Effect of Preserving the Pulmonary Branch of Vagus Nerve on Postoperative Cough in Patients with Stage I Peripheral Lung Adenocarcinoma]

BACKGROUND

Cough is one of the main complications after pulmonary surgery, which seriously affects the postoperative quality of life. Preserving the pulmonary branch of vagus nerve may reduce the incidence of postoperative cough. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether preserving the pulmonary branch of the vagus nerve could reduce the incidence of postoperative chronic cough in patients with stage I peripheral lung adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

A total of 125 patients who underwent single-port thoracoscopic radical resection for lung cancer in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from June 2022 to June 2023 were retrospectively selected, and divided into two groups according to whether the vagopulmonary branch was preserved during the operation, namely, the vagopulmonary branch group (n=61) and the traditional group (n=64). The general clinical data, perioperative conditions, lymph node dissection, Mandarin Chinese version of The Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ-MC) scores before and 8 weeks after operation were recorded in the two groups. Both the two groups were divided into tamponade group and non-tamponade group according to whether autologous fat or gelatin sponge was tamponade after lymph node dissection. LCQ-MC scores and postoperative chronic cough of both groups were calculated.

RESULTS

The LCQ-MC score of the traditional group was significantly lower than that of the vagopulmonary branch group in physiological, psychological, social and total scores at 8 weeks after surgery, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). There were more cough patients in the traditional group than the vagopulmonary branch group at 8 weeks after surgery, with significant difference (P=0.006). Subgroup analysis was conducted separately for the vagopulmonary branch group and the traditional group. Among the patients in the vagopulmonary branch group and the traditional group, the LCQ-MC scores of the non-tamponade group 8 weeks after surgery were lower than those of the tamponade group (P<0.05). There were more patients with cough in the group 8 weeks after surgery than in the tamponade group (P=0.001, P=0.024).

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with stage I peripheral lung adenocarcinoma, the preservation of the pulmonary branch of vagus nerve is safe and effective, which can reduce the incidence of postoperative chronic cough and improve the postoperative quality of life of the patients.

[Establishment of a Predictive Model for Chronic Cough after Pulmonary Resection]

BACKGROUND

Chronic cough after pulmonary resection is one of the most common complications, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients after surgery. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the risk factors of chronic cough after pulmonary resection and construct a prediction model.

METHODS

The clinical data and postoperative cough of 499 patients who underwent pneumonectomy or pulmonary resection in The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from January 2021 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were randomly divided into training set (n=348) and validation set (n=151) according to the principle of 7:3 randomization. According to whether the patients in the training set had chronic cough after surgery, they were divided into cough group and non-cough group. The Mandarin Chinese version of Leicester cough questionnare (LCQ-MC) was used to assess the severity of cough and its impact on patients' quality of life before and after surgery. The visual analog scale (VAS) and the self-designed numerical rating scale (NRS) were used to evaluate the postoperative chronic cough. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the independent risk factors and construct a model. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the discrimination of the model, and calibration curve was used to evaluate the consistency of the model. The clinical application value of the model was evaluated by decision curve analysis (DCA).

RESULTS

Multivariate Logistic analysis screened out that preoperative forced expiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), surgical procedure, upper mediastinal lymph node dissection, subcarinal lymph node dissection, and postoperative closed thoracic drainage time were independent risk factors for postoperative chronic cough. Based on the results of multivariate analysis, a Nomogram prediction model was constructed. The area under the ROC curve was 0.954 (95%CI: 0.930-0.978), and the cut-off value corresponding to the maximum Youden index was 0.171, with a sensitivity of 94.7% and a specificity of 86.6%. With a Bootstrap sample of 1000 times, the predicted risk of chronic cough after pulmonary resection by the calibration curve was highly consistent with the actual risk. DCA showed that when the preprobability of the prediction model probability was between 0.1 and 0.9, patients showed a positive net benefit.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic cough after pulmonary resection seriously affects the quality of life of patients. The visual presentation form of the Nomogram is helpful to accurately predict chronic cough after pulmonary resection and provide support for clinical decision-making.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Exercises Effectively Improve Chronic Cough After Surgery for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Cough is a major complication after lung cancer surgery, potentially impacting lung function and quality of life. However, effective treatments for managing long-term persistent postoperative cough remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the potential of a pulmonary rehabilitation training program to effectively address this issue.

METHODS

Between January 2019 and December 2022, a retrospective review was conducted on patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent lobectomy and lymph node dissection via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) at Daping hospital. Based on their postoperative rehabilitation methods, the patients were categorized into 2 groups: the traditional rehabilitation group and the pulmonary rehabilitation group. All patients underwent assessment using the Leicester cough questionnaire (LCQ) on the third postoperative day. Additionally, at the 6-month follow-up, patients' LCQ scores and lung function were re-evaluated to assess the long-term effects of the pulmonary rehabilitation training programs.

RESULTS

Among the 276 patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 195 (70.7%) were in the traditional rehabilitation group, while 81 (29.3%) participated in the pulmonary rehabilitation group. The pulmonary rehabilitation group showed a significantly lower incidence of cough on the third postoperative day (16.0% vs 29.7%, P = .018) and higher LCQ scores in the somatic dimension (5.09 ± .81 vs 4.15 ± 1.22, P = .007) as well as in the total score (16.44 ± 2.86 vs 15.11 ± 2.51, P = .018, whereas there were no significant differences in psychiatric and sociological dimensions. At the 6-month follow-up, the pulmonary rehabilitation group continued to have a lower cough incidence (3.7% vs 12.8%, P = .022) and higher LCQ scores across all dimensions: somatic (6.19 ± .11 vs 5.75 ± 1.20, P = .035), mental (6.37 ± 1.19 vs 5.85 ± 1.22, P = .002), sociological (6.76 ± 1.22 vs 5.62 ± 1.08, P < .001), and total (18.22 ± 2.37 vs 16.21 ± 2.53, P < .001). Additionally, lung function parameters including FVC, FVC%, FEV1, FEV1%, MVV, MVV%, DLCO SB, and DLCO% were all significantly higher in the pulmonary rehabilitation group compared to the traditional group.

CONCLUSION

Pulmonary rehabilitation exercises significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative cough and improved cough-related quality of life in patients undergoing lobectomy, with sustained benefits observed at the 6-month follow-up. Additionally, these exercises demonstrated superior lung function outcomes compared to traditional rehabilitation methods.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined With Liuzijue Exercise in Physiological Rehabilitation After Video-assisted Lung Lobectomy for Cancer: A Prospective Propensity Score Matching Study

OBJECTIVE

To observe the clinical efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine combined with Liuzijue exercise on the physiological symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in postoperative patients with early-stage lung cancer.

METHODS

One hundred and eighty-three lung cancer patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) were categorize into either a traditional Chinese medicine treatment group (CM) or a control group (non-traditional Chinese medicine treatment, NC), among whom 73 underwent Chinese herbal medicine and Liuzijue therapy, while 110 underwent no comprehensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. The propensity score matching (PSM) method with a 1:2 ratio was used to balance the baseline characteristics and evaluate the efficacy of CM in improving postoperative symptoms and QoL.

RESULTS

Cough, dyspnea, chest pain, and fatigue were the most common clinical symptoms after VATS. Except for chest pain, they were all correlated with the scope of operation (P < .05). After PSM, 165 patients were identified in the matched cohort, and the covariates of gender, age, operative site, and scope of operation were balanced between the 2 groups (P > .05). In the domain of global health status, the improvement in QoL in CM was greater than that in NC (6.06 ± 15.83 vs -1.06 ± 14.68, P = .005). In terms of symptoms, improvements in cough (1.69 ± 3.15 vs 0.38 ± 2.63, P = .006), dyspnea during climbing stairs (-10.30 ± 16.82 vs -1.82 ± 17.97, P = .004), and pain (-0.76 ± 1.32 vs -0.08 ± 1.31, P = .002) in CM were better than in NC.

CONCLUSION

Comprehensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can provide therapeutic benefits in physiological rehabilitation after VATS for cancer.

Risk factors for cough after pulmonary resection

BACKGROUND

To investigate the risk factors for cough after pulmonary resection.

METHODS

The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and China National Knowledge Network databases were searched from inception to November 2022. The Q tests and I2 statistic were used to evaluate the heterogeneity. Odds ratios (OR) were combined using the inverse variance method. All statistical analyses were performed by RevMan 5.4.1.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies with 4755 patients were included, the incidence of postoperative cough was 21.1%-55.8%. The results showed that young age [OR = 0.66, 95% CI (0.46, 0.96), p = 0.03], female sex [OR = 1.69, 95% CI (1.07, 2.66), p = 0.02], preoperative cough [OR = 5.96, 95% CI (2.58, 13.73), p < 0.01], right lobe operation [OR = 2.14, 95% CI (1.44, 3.19), p < 0.01], lobectomy [OR = 3.70, 95% CI (1.73, 7.90), p < 0.01], subcarinal lymph node dissection [OR = 3.45, 95% CI (1.86, 6.39), p < 0.01], mediastinal lymph node removal [OR = 3.49, 95% CI (2.07, 5.89), p < 0.01], closure of bronchial stump with stapler [OR = 5.19, 95% CI (1.79, 15.07), p < 0.01], peritracheal lymph node resection [OR = 3.05, 95%CI (1.40,6.64), p < 0.01], postoperative acid reflux [OR = 11.07, 95%CI (4.38,28.02), p < 0.01] were independent risk factors for cough after pulmonary resection.

CONCLUSIONS

Young age, female sex, preoperative cough, right lobe operation, lobectomy, subcarinal lymph node dissection, mediastinal lymph node removal, closure of bronchial stump with stapler, peritracheal lymph node resection, and postoperative acid reflux are independent risk factors for cough after pulmonary resection.

Removing different number of regional lymph nodes affects survival outcomes of operable patients at stage IIA non-small cell lung cancer (according to the 8th edition staging)

Background

Surgery combined with chemotherapy (CT) is the best treatment for tumor patients at stage I to IIIA. But there are only few studies specifically evaluated the survival benefits of removing different number of regional lymph nodes (RLNs) for patients with stage IIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective of this study is to discuss the effect of removing different number of RLNs on survival outcomes in operable patients at stage IIA NSCLC.

Methods

Through the use of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry, satisfactory patients at stage IIA NSCLC, who had complete clinical information from 2004 to 2015, were identified. Lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS) were compared by the Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analyses to determine the impact of the confounding factors on the survival outcomes. LCSS and OS as the primary endpoints were compared among patients with different number of RLNs removed.

Results

A total of 3,362 patients at stage IIA NSCLC met our criteria, including 173 (5.1%), 486 (14.5%), 2,703 (80.4%) patients without RLNs removed, with 1 to 3 RLNs removed and with greater than or equal to 4 RLNs removed, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and Univariate Cox regression analyses revealed that there was a statistically significant difference on survival curve (log rank P<0.001) among the stage IIA NSCLC patients with different number of RLNs removed. Furthermore, multivariable Cox regression analyses on LCSS showed that the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the 1 to 3 RLNs removed group and greater than or equal to 4 RLNs removed group were 0.622 (0.484-0.800, P<0.001) and 0.545 (0.437-0.680, P<0.001), respectively, compared to without any RLNs removed group.

Conclusions

This study illustrated that removing different number of RLNs can affect survival outcomes of operable patients at stage IIA NSCLC. Whether more radical lymphadenectomy is beneficial to patients at stage IIA NSCLC still needs to be researched.