Postoperative Recurrence and Survival After Segmentectomy for Clinical Stage 0 or IA Lung Cancer

Although radical segmentectomy is an accepted treatment option for small-sized lung cancer, the outcomes remain unclear. The present study aimed to elucidate recurrence patterns and to identify predictors of time to recurrence after intentional segmentectomy for early lung cancer.

Prospectively collected data of 166 patients who could tolerate lobectomy and underwent intentional segmentectomy for clinical stage 0 or IA non-small-cell lung cancer between 2007 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Surgical indication for intentional segmentectomy was clinical stage 0 or IA ground glass opacity-dominant tumor ≤ 3 cm or solid-dominant tumor ≤ 2 cm on high-resolution computed tomography.

The median follow-up duration was 48.8 months, during which 6 (3.6%) patients developed recurrences. The 5-year recurrence-free survival and 5-year overall survival rates were 93.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87.9%-96.1%) and 93.5% (95% CI, 87.7%-96.4%), respectively. Two (1.2%) patients who developed local-only recurrences subsequently underwent completion lobectomy; no cancer-related deaths were seen for these patients. In multivariable analysis, consolidation to maximum tumor diameter (C/T) ratio (hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.22; P = .02) was an independent predictive factor for time to recurrence. All 6 patients with recurrence had a tumor with a C/T ratio of 86% or higher.

Based on these findings, favorable survival is expected after intentional segmentectomy for selected patients with clinical stage 0 or IA non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients with a higher C/T ratio tumor appear to be at higher risk of recurrence after intentional segmentectomy.