Indications for segmentectomy in early-stage lung cancer based on solid volume analysis using three-dimensional...

As indications for segmentectomy in small lung cancers expand, accurate preoperative computed tomography (CT) evaluation has become increasingly important. Irregularly shaped tumors require objective measurement techniques. This study assessed new segmentectomy criteria for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using three-dimensional (3D) CT tumor volume.

In total, 200 segmentectomies and 691 lobectomies for clinical stage 0/IA NSCLC were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative 3D-CT was performed to measure total tumor volume and solid component volume. To assess the predictive value of solid component volume and solid component ratio for recurrence and mortality, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the segmentectomy and lobectomy groups were plotted individually. Based on the cut-off values derived from the ROC curves in the segmentectomy group, all cases were stratified into four categories ("volume high risk + ratio high risk", "volume high risk + ratio low risk", "volume low risk + ratio high risk", "volume low risk + ratio low risk"). Recurrence-free survival was analyzed using the log-rank test.

The cutoff values were 2063.4 mm³ and 28.3% for segmentectomy and 4705.0 mm³ and 73.0% for lobectomy. A significant difference in the 5-year recurrence-free survival between segmentectomy and lobectomy was found only in the volume high-risk + ratio high-risk category (48.1% vs. 66.9%).

This exploratory analysis suggests that 3D-CT tumor quantification may aid in refining segmentectomy criteria; however, external validation is necessary before clinical application.