VATS versus open surgery for lung cancer resection: moving toward a minimally invasive approach

The use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become the standard approach for the surgical resection of early-stage lung cancer. Although no large prospective, randomized, controlled trial has compared VATS lobectomy with thoracotomy, well-designed retrospective studies have consistently shown that VATS has comparable oncologic outcomes and is associated with fewer complications, reduced length of hospital stay, improvement in patient quality of life, and superior tolerance of adjuvant therapies.