Intraoperative Conversion During Video-assisted Thoracoscopy Resection for Lung Cancer Does Not Alter Survival

Overview

Anatomical resection with systematic lymph-node dissection is currently the standard of care for the treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer. The use of minimally invasive approaches has increased greatly over the last two decades \[either video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) or robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS)\], as they provide the patient with better outcomes than open thoracotomy. Minimally invasive VATS lobectomy for a standard case is generally a straightforward procedure for a well-trained surgical team, although concomitant preoperative pathologies or intraoperative findings/adverse events may result in technical difficulties, leading to intraoperative conversion, commonly by thoracotomy. The investigators aimed to assess long-term outcomes in a consecutive cohort of patients treated by anatomical pulmonary resection either using VATS, VATS requiring intraoperative conversion to thoracotomy, or upfront open thoracotomy for lung-cancer surgery.

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Interventions