Short-Term and Mid-Term Outcomes of Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery in Patients with Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

Background: Mid-term outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Vietnam should be evaluated and discussed. Methods: This prospective descriptive study was conducted on 94 patients with NSCLC under stages I-IIA who were treated with VATS from November 2011 to July 2014. Results: The median patient age was 55.5 +/- 10.8 years. The rate of successful VATS for NSCLC treatment was 98.9%, and the conversion rate (from VATS to thoracotomy) was 1.1%. The operative time was 143.8 +/- 38.9 minutes, the amount of blood loss was 194.8 +/- 150.5 mL, and the postoperative complication rate was 10.6%. The ICU length stay was 2.8 +/- 1.0 days, and the postoperative hospital length stay was 7.7 +/- 2.1 days. Among the 89 patients with successful follow-up, one (1.1%) had a recurrent tumor, and ten (11.8%) had metastasis. The 1- and 2-year relative survival rates were 95.9% (3 deaths) and 80.8% (9 deaths), respectively. Conclusion: VATS treatment for early stage NSCLC is an effective method with safe outcomes. The mid-term outcomes were acceptable with 1- and 2-year relative survival rates of 95.9% and 80.8%, respectively.