TITLE:
Thoracoscopic Pneumonectomy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): A Case Report and Review of the Literature
AUTHORS:
Oya Andacoglu, James D. Maloney
KEYWORDS:
Pneumonectomy; Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy; Lung Cancer
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.4 No.6A,
June
20,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Minimally invasive resection of lung
cancer remains surprisingly uncommon in comparison to the adoption of similar
techniques in other surgical disciplines. The reported use of video-assisted
thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for anatomic resections in comparison to open
lobectomy ranges from 10% -40% even though it
has been demonstrated to be equivalent in safety and accomplishes the same
oncologic goals. Further, it may provide improved survival outcomes as others
have reported benefits in perioperative recovery and patient satisfaction. VATS
pneumonectomy has been far less commonly described despite the physiologic
advantages such as less blood loss, shorter intensive care stay, and less respiratory compromise. This report
specifically addresses this lacuna by drawing upon the successful case of a
VATS pneumonectomy with fissure invasion and then considering why minimally
invasive VATS techniques remain underutilized. In conclusion, we suggest that
focused thoracic surgery fellowship training in VATS techniques will make thoracoscopic surgery a more conventional
technique rather than a challenging procedure.