Comparative Study of Survival following Videothoracoscopic Lobectomy Procedures for Lung Cancer: Single- versus Multiple-port Approaches. / Estudio comparativo de la supervivencia tras procedimientos videotoracoscópicos para la lobectomía del cáncer de pulmón: abordaje por puerto único frente a múltiple.

INTRODUCTION: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has become the technique of choice in the early stages of lung cancer in many centers although there is no evidence that all of the surgical approaches achieve the same long-term survival. METHOD: We carried out a retrospective review of 276 VATS lobectomies performed in our department, analyzing age, sex, comorbidities, current smoker, FEV1 and FCV, surgical approach, TNM and pathological stage, histologic type, neoadjuvant or coadjuvant chemotherapy, relapse and metastasis time, with the main aim of evaluating the survival rate and disease-free time, especially with regard to the two/three versus single port approach. RESULT: The one/four year global survival rate was 88.1 and 67.6% respectively. Bivariate analysis found that the variables associated with survival are comorbidity, histological type, stage, surgical approach and need for chemotherapy. When we independently analyzed the surgical approach, we found a lower survival rate in the single-port group vs. the two/three-port group (VATS). Stratifying by tumoral stage (stage I) and by tumor size (T2) survival was significantly lower for patients with single-port group in comparison to VATS approach. In the multivariate analysis, single-port group is associated with a higher risk of death (HR=1.78). In analyzing disease-free survival, differences were found in both cases in favor of two/three port VATS: p=.093 for local relapses and p=.091 for the development of metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: These results challenge the use of the single port technique in malignant lung pathologies, suggesting the need for clinical trials in order to identify the role this technique may have in lung cancer surgery.

Long-term success of combined kidney-lung transplantation in a patient with cystic fibrosis.

Advanced kidney disease is usually considered an absolute contraindication for lung transplantation due to the difficult management of these patients in the post-operative period. Combined lung-kidney transplantation, however, could offer an opportunity for selected patients with renal and pulmonary dysfunction. This study summarizes the long-term success of a double transplantation in a 38-year-old male patient with cystic fibrosis who presented respiratory and kidney failure. After a complicated post-operative period, the patient currently lives completely independently 46 months after the operation and he enjoys excellent pulmonary and renal function.

[Video-assisted thoracic surgery, lung transplantation and mediastinitis: major issues in thoracic surgery in 2010]. / Cirugía torácica videoasistida, trasplante pulmonar y mediastinitis, temas destacados de cirugía torácica en 2010.

We reviewed the major issues in thoracic surgery relating to the advances made in our specialty in 2010. To do this, the 43(rd) Congress of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery held in La Coruña and the articles published in the Society's journal, Archivos de Bronconeumología, were reviewed. The main areas of interest were related to the development of video-assisted thoracic surgery, lung transplantation and descending mediastinitis. The new tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification (7(th) edition), presented last year, was still a topical issue this year. The First Forum of Thoracic Surgeons and the Update in Thoracic Surgery together with the Nurses' Area have constituted an excellent teaching program.

[Thoracic surgery 2009]. / Cirugía torácica 2009.

Started with tuberculosis and developed in parallel with smoking and cancer and under the protection of anaesthesia, thoracic surgery appeared in the 1980's as a specialty with a difficult long-term survival. However, with the development of lung transplant, tracheal surgery, the appearance of video-assisted thoracic surgery, along with the confirmation that despite the excellent progress of chemoradiotherapy, surgery continues to be the best option for curing lung cancer, means that it is currently a specialty of great growth and a wider scope in the future.