[Can video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery change the indication of lung resection for patients with lung cancer?]

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is associated with reduced pain, postoperative complications, release and responses of proinflammatory cytokines, and better ventilatory function during very early postoperative period after lung resection than standard thoracotomy. Because of the concern of local recurrence with pulmonary wedge resection by thoracotomy, anatomical lobectomy remains the curative procedure for lung cancer. However, same or better prognosis with a lesser resection by extended segmentectomy or wedge resection with VATS in patients with small lung cancer has been recently published. It suggests that these procedures would be applied for patients with poor pulmonary reserve who have not been considered as candidates for pulmonary resection.