Multiinstitutional analysis of single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic anatomical resection for primary lung cancer

Multiinstitutional analysis of single-port video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for anatomic pulmonary resection is rare. This study aimed to address the technical feasibility and applicability of single-port video-assisted anatomical resection for primary lung cancer.

A total of 121 patients with primary lung cancer undergoing single-port video-assisted anatomical resection between 2011 and 2014 in 4 hospitals were included. The clinicopathologic variables and perioperative outcomes were collected and analyzed retrospectively.

Single-port VATS segmentectomies and lobectomies were performed in 24 (19.8%) and 97 (80.2%) patients, respectively. One hundred seven of 121 (88.4%) patients had adenocarcinoma and 93 of 121 (76.9%) had pathologic stage I lung cancer. The average operative time and estimated blood loss was 198.8 ± 65.4 minutes and 99.1 ± 147.6 mL, respectively. The conversion and complication rates were 2.5% (3 of 121 cases) and 14.0% (17 of 121 cases), respectively. There was no surgical mortality, and the average length of hospital stay was 6.6 ± 2.6 days. The mean resected lymph node was 22.6 ± 12.0. We also identified patient age of 60 years or more, male sex, and tumor size greater than 3 cm as unfavorable perioperative outcome predictors after single-port video-assisted anatomical pulmonary resection.

This first multiinstitutional single-port VATS study demonstrated that anatomical resection for primary lung cancer can be safely and effectively completed through a single-port VATS approach in hospitals experienced in VATS techniques.