Abstract
BACKGROUND: The morbidity of lung cancer has long been the highest in cancer. Stage I, stage II and partly of stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are mainly treated by surgery. Lobectomy and segmentectomy both are common lung resection methods. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been widely used in clinical, and the application of single-portvideo-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SP VATS) has gradually been recognized and accepted by professors. With increasing degree of eldly in society, eldly patients already have become inceasingly difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC. The aim of this study is to explore and analyze clinical value of SP VATS lobectomy and segmentectomy in elderly patients with NSCLC. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, the outcomes of 417 consecutive patients who had undergone SP VATS anatomic segmentectomy or lobectomy for NSCLC from May 2014 to December 2016 on department of thoracic surgery in Fujian Medical University Affiliated Union Hospital were examined, including 139 elderly-case (lobectomy vs segmentectomy: 124 vs 15) and 278 nonelderly-case (lobectomy vs segmentectomy: 248 vs 30). The condition of perioperative period and postoperative short-time recovery could be compared with lobectomy and segmentectomy between elderly and nonelderly cases and lobectomy and segmentectomy in elderly cases. RESULTS: The morbidty of preoperative complications was significant difference (P<0.05) in comparing with elderly and non-elderly patients with NSCLC either in SP VATS anatomic segmentectomy orlobectomy, except others is no significant difference (P>0.05). Numbers of dissected lymph nodes and mediastinal nodal stations of SP VATS lobectomy in elderly patients with NSCLC were more than segmentectomy (P<0.05), which were (7.61±0.21) vs (20.39±0.97) and (5.60±0.35) vs (15.40±2.64). But there was not significant difference between two elderly groups of SP VATS lobectomy and anatomic segmentectomy in age, morbidty of preoperative complications, average operation time and intraoperative blood loss (P>0.05). Postoperative drainage volume [(1,150.15±140.02) mL vs (853.53±177.04) mL] and duration [(7.00±1.31) d vs (5.00±0.74) d], duration of postoperative hospital stay [(3.18±1.32) d vs (5.04±1.30) d], costs [(70.06±5.23) thousands yuan vs (61.20±5.22) thousands yuan ] or postoperative complications (5.97% vs 20.00%)(P>0.05). Notwithstanding, group of SP VATS anatomic segmentectomy found more postoperative atrialfibrillation and the vein thrombosis of lower limbs (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients having more basic diseases and taking increasely risk of postoperative complications. SP VATS anatomic segmentectomy andlobectomy do not increase the risk of elderly patients with surgery. SP VATS segmentectomy is as safe and effective as SP VATS lobectomy in elderly patients, who fit to undergo SP VATS segmentectomy seem to get as same short-time effect as SP VATS lobectomy.