title: Completely video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy versus open lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer greater than 5 cm: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Completely video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy is a reasonable treatment for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At present, the indication for this procedure is stage Ia and Ib peripheral lung cancer (≤ 5 cm); however, for larger tumors, it remains controversial whether this surgical technique is comparable to open lobectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, completeness, and efficacy of thoracoscopic lobectomy, and to compare this technique with open lobectomy for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer when the tumor's diameter was greater than 5 cm.
  
  
  METHODS
  From May 2001 to April 2011, 802 patients underwent a lobectomy for treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer at our center. In 133 patients, the tumor was > 5 cm. There were 98 men and 35 women, median age 63 years (range: 29 - 81 years). We divided the patients into two groups, group V (completely video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery), and group T (open lobectomy), and evaluated the two groups for age, gender, tumor size, pathological type, location, duration of surgery, blood loss, lymph node dissection, pathological stage, time of drainage, hospitalization, complications, overall survival and recurrence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 46 cases in group V and 87 cases in group T. Age, gender, tumor size, location, pathological type and stage were similar between the two groups. Group V had shorter operative duration ((186.5 ± 62.8) minutes vs. (256.7 ± 67.5) minutes, P < 0.001) and reduced bleeding ((218.5 ± 174.6) ml vs. (556.9 ± 187.2) ml, P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in complications, lymph node dissection, time of drainage and hospitalization. The recurrence between the two groups was equivalent (2.4% vs. 3.8%, P = 0.670). The overall survival at 1, 2 and 3 years was 95.1%, 81.6% and 69.6% for group V and 88.3%, 78.8% and 64.0% for group T. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that there was no significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.129).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Completely video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy was similar to open lobectomy in safety, completeness, and efficacy, but had a shorter operative duration, and reduced bleeding. This is a minimally invasive procedure that is feasible for a subset of non-small-cell lung cancer patients with tumor size > 5 cm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bu
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Guan-Chao
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Jian-Feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome