Left upper division sleeve segmentectomy for early stage squamous cell carcinoma of the segmental bronchus: report of...

Early hilar lung cancer is rare. It is usually curable if properly diagnosed and treated. We recently encountered two cases of early stage squamous cell carcinoma of the left upper division bronchus, which responded well to left upper division sleeve segmentectomy. Case 1 was a 74-year-old man, a heavy smoker, who was referred to our hospital after sputum cytology had resulted in a positive diagnosis while receiving inpatient care for heart failure at another hospital. Bronchoscopy revealed a thickened tumor at the spur between left B(1+2) and B(3). Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed by forceps biopsy via bronchoscopy. Left upper division sleeve segmentectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Since the bronchi to be anastomosed to each other were greatly different in diameter, telescoped anastomosis was used. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he continues to show good respiratory condition, without any evidence of recurrence 25 months after surgery. Case 2 was a 60-year-old man, a heavy smoker, who was identified by sputum cytology as needing detailed examination during a mass screening of high-risk groups for early detection of lung carcinoma. Bronchoscopy revealed a nodular tumor at the orifice of the left upper division bronchus. Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed by forceps biopsy via bronchoscopy. Left upper division sleeve segmentectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. During surgery for this case, the lingular bronchus was dissected obliquely to make its cross-section wide enough to match the diameter of the left upper lobe bronchus to which the former was anastomosed. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he shows good respiratory condition, without any evidence of recurrence five months after surgery. The pathological stage was TisN0M0 (stage 0) in both patients, and their tumors were confirmed as early hilar lung cancer. Sleeve segmentectomy, aimed at radical resection of cancer while preserving lung function, can serve as a standard procedure for surgical treatment of cases of early hilar lung cancer confined to the segmental bronchi.