title: Accelerated treatment of concomitant empyema and lung cancer by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The most common cause of pleural empyema are parapneumonic effusions, and lung cancer is a rare cause of empyema. The aim of the present study is to analyse the results of the thoracoscopic treatment of empyema before definitive oncological treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective descriptive study of 332 patients including different clinical variables between 2002 and 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 332 patients with empyema, the etiology of this disease was lung cancer in 11 patients. Ten of these patients were male and one was female (median age, 57.9 years; range, 46-76). The initial treatment was tube thoracostomy in 8 patients and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in 3 patients. Thoracoscopic debridement was performed in 4 patients whose tube thoracostomy underperformed because of insufficient drainage. The methods used for diagnosis of lung cancer were fiberoptic bronchoscopy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Surgical resection was performed on 7 suitable patients following infection control. Postoperative bronchopleural fístula and empyema occurred after pneumonectomy in one case. No operative mortality was observed. The mean survival time was 32.8 months for patients undergoing resection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Empyema could be a rare presentation of lung cancer and those suitable for surgical treatment should undergo standard treatment with reasonable results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Estambul, Turquía. Electronic address: haticeeryigit@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eryigit
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Maltepe University, Estambul, Turquía.
authors.forename: Alpay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orki
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Estambul, Turquía.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unaldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Estambul, Turquía.
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Kosuyolu Training and Research Hospital, Estambul, Turquía.
authors.forename: Tulay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Orki
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Maltepe University, Estambul, Turquía.
authors.forename: Altug
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kosar
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Estambul, Turquía.
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Demirhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Maltepe University, Estambul, Turquía.
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016724:Empyema, Pleural; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted / Q000009:adverse effects
keywords: Infección; Infection; Lung; Pulmón; Thoracoscopy; Toracoscopia; Tube thoracostomy; Tubo de toracostomía; Tumor