[Prognostic analysis between endobronchial and invasive bronchial non-small cell lung cancer in sleeve resection]

Objective: To investigate the prognostic differences between endobronchial and invasive bronchial characteristics in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing sleeve lobectomy. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 200 NSCLC patients who underwent sleeve lobectomy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital between January 2014 and December 2016. There were 181 males and 19 females, aged (61.3±8.1) years (range: 30 to 81 years). Based on imaging data, they were divided into the endobronchial group (n=71) and the invasive bronchial group (n=129). Clinical data and prognosis were collected and analyzed. Sex, age, hypertension, diabetes, smoking history, pathology type, tumor size, staging, surgical method, surgical site, and sleeve technique were included as covariates. Propensity score matching was performed with a 1∶1 ratio between the endobronchial and invasive bronchial groups using the nearest-neighbor matching method. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and the Log-rank test was applied to compare differences between groups. Independent sample t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, χ² tests, or Fisher's exact tests was used for group comparisons. Results: After propensity score matching, 71 cases from each group (endobronchial and invasive bronchial) were included, with no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups (all P>0.05). Endobronchial group showed significantly better overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) compared to invasive bronchial group(Log-rank test:P=0.014,0.027). Further subgroup analysis revealed that in the minimally invasive surgery subgroup, the DFS of the endobronchial group was significantly better than that of the invasive bronchial group (Log-rank test:P=0.002), while in the open thoracotomy subgroup, there was no significant difference in DFS between the two groups (Log-rank test:P=0.290). In the right upper lobe sleeve resection subgroup, the endobronchial group had significantly better DFS than the invasive bronchial group (Log-rank test:P=0.039). For patients in the stage Ⅱ to Ⅲ subgroup, the endobronchial group had significantly better DFS than the invasive bronchial group (Log-rank test:P=0.005). Conclusion: In sleeve lobectomy, patients with endobronchial NSCLC have better OS and DFS compared to those with invasive bronchial type, particularly in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery, right upper lobe sleeve lobectomy, and stage Ⅱ to Ⅲ patients.