Safety and Efficacy Outcomes From a Single-Center Study of Image-Guided Percutaneous Microwave Ablation for Primary and Metastatic Lung Malignancy.

Introduction: Image-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) is becoming a more common treatment option for patients with primary and metastatic lung malignancies. Nevertheless, there is limited literature on the safety and efficacy of MWA compared with standard-of-care therapy, including surgical resection and radiation. This study will report the long-term outcomes after MWA for pulmonary malignancies and investigate the factors related to efficacy, including lesion size, location, and ablation power. Methods: Retrospective single-center study analyzing 93 patients who underwent percutaneous MWA for primary or metastatic lung malignancies. Outcomes included immediate technical success, local tumor recurrence, overall survival, disease-specific survival, and complications. Results: At a single institution, 190 lesions (81 primary and 109 metastatic) were treated in 93 patients. Immediate technical success was achieved in all cases. Freedom from local recurrence was 87.6%, 75.3%, and 69.2% and overall survival was 87.7%, 76.2%, and 74.3% at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years, respectively. Disease-specific survival was 92.6%, 81.8%, and 81.8%. The most common complication was pneumothorax, which occurred in 54.7% (104 of 190) of procedures, with 35.2% (67 of 190) requiring a chest tube. No life-threatening complications occurred. Conclusions: Percutaneous MWA seems safe and effective for treatment of primary and metastatic lung malignancies and should be considered for patients with limited metastatic burden and lesions less than 3 cm in size.

Value of a Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Treatment of Emphysema.

Lung volume reduction surgery can significantly improve quality of life for properly selected patients who are symptomatic despite maximal medical management for emphysema. This requires a well-constructed multidisciplinary team (including transplant) to evaluate and treat these patients.

The role of thoracoscopic pneumonectomy in the management of non-small cell lung cancer: A multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) approach on the outcomes of patients who underwent pneumonectomy. METHODS: The effect of the surgical approach on perioperative complications and survival in patients who underwent pneumonectomy for nonmetastatic non-small cell lung cancer across 3 institutions (2000-2016) was assessed using multivariable logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards analysis, and propensity-score matching. Completion pneumonectomies were excluded from this study, and an "intent-to-treat" analysis was performed. RESULTS: During the study period, 359 patients met inclusion criteria and underwent pneumonectomy for nonmetastatic non-small cell lung cancer; 124 (35%) underwent pneumonectomy via VATS and 235 (65%) via thoracotomy. Perioperative mortality (VATS, 7% [n = 9] vs open, 8% [n = 19]; P = .75) and morbidity (VATS, 28% [n = 35] vs open, 28% [n = 65]; P = .91) were similar between the groups, even after multivariable adjustment. VATS showed similar 5-year survival when compared with thoracotomy in unadjusted analysis (47% [95% confidence interval (CI), 36-56] vs 33% [95% CI, 27-40]; P = .19), even after multivariable adjustment (hazard ratio, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.50-1.18]; P = .23). In a propensity score-matched analysis that balanced patient characteristics, there were no significant differences found in overall survival between the 2 groups (P = .69). CONCLUSIONS: Although the role of VATS pneumonectomy will likely become clearer as more surgeons report results, this multicenter study suggests that the VATS approach for pneumonectomy can be performed safely, with at least equivalent oncologic outcomes when compared with thoracotomy.

Thymic epithelial neoplasms: a review of current concepts using an evidence-based pathology approach.

Evidence-based pathology promotes the critical evaluation of current clinical information and the development of evidence-based diagnostic and prognostic guidelines. No randomized clinical trials of patients who have thymomas or thymic carcinomas are available to evaluate the validity of the current World Health Organization (WHO) histologic classification or the widely used Masaoka staging system. A meta-analysis of over 2000 thymoma patients estimated that only three WHO histologic types of thymomas are associated with significant survival differences. Prospective randomized clinical trials and an international registry of patients who have Thymic epithelial neoplasms are needed to stratify patients who may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy, postoperative radiation therapy, and other nonsurgical modalities.

Endobronchial valves for the treatment of emphysema.

Although lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) improves quality of life, pulmonary function, exercise ability, and even survival for selected patients, several bronchoscopic procedures are being developed to reduce the morbidity and mortality. For heterogeneous emphysema, bronchial blockers, bronchial valves, and biologic glue have been used in an attempt to emulate volume reduction. So far, the results are encouraging, though not as significant as LVRS. For homogeneous emphysema, airway bypass stents seem to be effective. This article reviews the results for the current procedures under investigation.

Complications and learning curves for video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy.

Surgery remains the mainstay for the treatment of lung cancer. While pulmonary resection has been safe for years, there is a trend toward minimally invasive (VATS) pulmonary resections. Studies have now shown that standard complete cancer operations performed via VATS offer patients a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery without compromising the cure rate for an operation performed via a thoracotomy.

Surgical management of primary lung cancer.

Despite advancements in systemic treatment and the understanding of tumor biology, the mainstay for the treatment of lung cancer remains its resection. All patients with lung cancer should be considered surgical candidates until they are proven to have contraindications to resection. This article reviews preoperative assessment and the operative technique for the surgical treatment of lung cancer. As with other surgical specialties, thoracic surgery is moving towards minimally invasive techniques that are reducing morbidity, mortality, and length of stay. This advance is allowing patients an earlier recovery from major pulmonary surgery.

CYR61: a new measure of lung cancer outcome.

Cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61) is a member of a family of growth factor-inducible, immediate-early genes. In this report, the authors measured the expression of Cyr61 mRNA in 94 human lung tumors and their normal matched lung samples. The Cyr61 mRNA levels were quantified by real time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and calculated as a tumor/normal Cyr61 mRNA ratio in each case. Compared with normal matched lung tissues, expression of Cyr61 was decreased in 74 of 94 (79 percent) lung tumors. Differences in distribution of patient characteristics, such as gender, age, tumor size, and pathological diagnosis, between high or low Cyr61 expressing groups were not statistically significant. However, differences in distribution of clinical stage between high or low Cyr61 expressing groups was statistically significant; that is, the Cyr61 low expressor group was clinically more advanced than the Cyr61 high expressor group (p = 0.046). Furthermore, Cyr61 levels of the patients with N0 and N1 diseases were significantly higher than the expression in the N2 patients (p = 0.047). The 3-year survival between the Cyr61 very low tumor expressor group compared to matched normal lung (39 patients) and the higher Cyr61 expressor group (52 patients) was statistically significant (59 versus 91 percent; p = 0.05). Taken together, Cyr61 appears to guard against metastatic disease because low expression is associated with more advanced disease; and therefore, expression levels of Cyr61 correlate with the prognosis of lung cancer.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy for stage I lung cancer.

The literature shows that, in the hands of experienced thoracoscopic surgeons, VL is a safe operation that offers patients at least comparable complication and survival rates compared with lobectomy by thoracotomy. VL can be performed safely with proven advantages over conventional thoracotomy for lobectomy: smaller incisions, decreased postoperative pain, decreased LOS, decreased chest tube output and duration, decreased blood loss, better preservation of pulmonary function, and earlier return to normal activities. These results are obtained without sacrificing the oncologic principles of thoracic surgery, and, in fact, the evidence in the literature is mounting that VATS may offer reduced rates of complications and better survival.

Video-Assisted Intercostal Muscle Flaps for Bronchial Stump Coverage.

This article describes the surgical technique for performing an intercostal muscle flap for bronchial stump coverage using a video-assisted thoracic surgery approach.

Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery in Patients With Previous Sternotomy and Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Although video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has become a standard approach for early-stage 1 lung cancer, concerns exist regarding potential damage to the heart or bypass grafts when VATS is performed after cardiac surgery via median sternotomy. We could find only case reports regarding VATS lobectomy after sternotomy for cardiac surgery. Therefore, we reviewed our series of patients who underwent VATS anatomic resections after sternotomy for cardiac surgery. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2010, there were 87 patients who underwent 88 pulmonary resections after sternotomy for coronary artery bypass grafting (64), valve replacement or repair (12), coronary artery bypass graft and valve replacement (6), and transplant (5). There were 10 women (11.5%) and 77 men (88.5%) with a mean age of 76.2 years. Diagnoses included lung cancer (83), pulmonary metastases (4), and benign disease (1). RESULTS: Dense adhesions between the lung and the mediastinum sometimes occur after cardiac surgery. Compared with the total series of 2684 VATS lobectomies, operations after sternotomy are associated with greater mortality (12, 0.4% vs 5, 5.7%), myocardial infarction (13, 0.5% vs 2, 2.3%), transfusion (45, 1.7% vs 12, 13.6), conversion to thoracotomy (188, 7% vs 14, 15.9%). Injury occurred to the left main pulmonary artery (1, 1%) and internal mammary artery graft (1, 1%). There were no intraoperative deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Previous sternotomy for cardiac surgery does increase the risk for VATS lobectomy. Conversion to thoracotomy should be considered if dense adhesions are found. Techniques to reduce the risk for the heart are discussed.

Do cancer cells selectively mutate HFE to increase their intracellular iron?

Malignant cells compared to their normal counter-parts, have an increased requirement for iron in order to achieve an enhanced cell growth. Transferrin receptor (TfR), an essential transport protein that enables cells to satisfy their need of iron, is upregulated in cancer cells. The hemochromatosis gene (HFE) produces a protein that interacts with TfR; and we hypothesized that tumor cells would selectively mutate HFE to improve their iron-uptake and thus provide themselves a growth advantage over non-tumor cells. A total of 36 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples and matched tumor-free tissue from the same individuals were examined for HFE mutations using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). Sequencing analysis of the shifted bands in three of 36 cases (in both, the tumor and matching normal tissue of the same individuals) revealed the cysteine to tyrosine substitution at amino acid residue 282 (C282Y) in the protein. Surprisingly, matching samples from one patient with a heterozygous C282Y mutation in the germline, showed loss of heterozygosity in the tumor sample at the mutant HFE allele resulting in loss of the C282Y and retention of the normal allele. In addition, we examined 45 tumor cell lines from 11 different tissues. Five cell lines had a heterozygous mutation of HFE, none had a homozygous HFE mutation in the coding region. In summary, our experiments suggest that HFE mutations are not associated with a growth advantage for cancer cells.

Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery After Median Sternotomy for Cardiac Surgery.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has become a standard approach for early stage 1 lung cancer. However, concerns still remain regarding certain clinical situations, such as potential damage to the heart or bypass grafts when VATS is performed after median sternotomy for cardiac surgery. In this article, techniques are described to minimize risk to an internal mammary artery graft during a VATS anatomic pulmonary resection in this group of patients. The article reviews data on VATS after median sternotomy for cardiac surgery and describes techniques to prevent, treat, and mitigate problems in this group of patients. Management of intraoperative crises is also discussed.

A video-assisted thoracoscopic approach to transaxillary first rib resection.

OBJECTIVE: Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) can be associated with neurologic, arterial, or venous deficiencies. When nonsurgical treatment has failed to adequately palliate TOS, surgical intervention is indicated. The supraclavicular and transaxillary approaches are currently the most commonly used approaches for first rib resection, yet little has been reported to date on outcomes of minimally invasive procedures, such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The purpose of this article was to describe a minimally invasive approach to TOS and the associated outcomes. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database. Patients who failed nonsurgical therapy for TOS were referred to our practice for evaluation of surgery with a VATS minimally invasive first rib resection. Between 2001 and 2010, 66 VATS procedures were performed on 58 patients (41 women, 17 men). Patients were followed postoperatively for a mean time of 13.5 months. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were women (70.7%), and the mean age was 40.5 years, with a patient age range of 17 to 59 years. The mean length of hospital stay was 2.47 days; median length of stay was 2 days. There were a total of eight complications (12.1%). There were no mortalities. CONCLUSIONS: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery first rib resection for TOS is another feasible option for TOS, which can be added to the armamentarium of the thoracic surgeon. The outcomes associated with our technique are comparable with the outcomes related to other current standards of care.

The prognostic significance of intranodal isolated tumor cells and micrometastases in patients with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung.

OBJECTIVE: To study whether isolated tumor cells and micrometastases, as defined by the current American Joint Committee on Cancer criteria for extrapulmonary neoplasms, have prognostic value for patients with resected non-small cell carcinoma of the lung. METHODS: Intrathoracic lymph nodes (n = 1063) from 60 patients with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung were studied for the presence of metastases with serial histologic sections and keratin immunostains. Metastases were classified as isolated tumor cells, pN1mi, pN1, pN2mi, and pN2. Isolated tumor cells were smaller than 0.2 mm, while pN1mi and pN2mi measured 0.2 mm to 2 mm. Survival analysis was performed, stratifying by nodal status and stage. RESULTS: Isolated tumor cells were detected in 11 lymph nodes from 5 of 33 pN0 patients and in 9 pN1 and pN2 patients. The lymph nodes from 3 patients were reclassified as pN1mi. No pN2mi were detected. A survival model based on a stratification of the cohort into stages I to III was significant (chi-square = 7.426, df = 2, P =.024) but demonstrated considerable overlap between the survival curves of stage I and II patients. A model stratifying isolated tumor cells and pN1mi into stage I disease was significant (chi-square = 7.985, df = 2, P =.018) and showed no overlap between the survival curves of stage I and II patients. There were no significant survival function differences between patients with pN0, isolated tumor cells, and pN1mi. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung with isolated tumor cells and pN1mi have similar survivals to those with pN0, consistent with the findings reported for breast cancer patients. Future larger studies of patients with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung are needed to confirm whether current American Joint Committee on Cancer staging criteria should be modified to include the pN1mi category.

Innovative approaches to lung volume reduction for emphysema.

The 10 years of resurgent interest in lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and recent National Emphysema Treatment Trial findings for emphysema have stimulated a range of innovative alternative ideas aimed at improving outcomes and reducing complications associated with current LVRS techniques. Concepts being actively investigated at this time include surgical resection with compression/banding devices, endobronchial blockers, sealants, obstructing devices and valves, and bronchial bypass methods. These novel approaches are reaching the stage of clinical trials at this time. Theory, design issues, methods, potential advantages and limitations, and available results are presented. Extensive research in the near future will help to determine the potential clinical applicability of these new approaches to the treatment of emphysema symptoms.

Safety and efficacy of median sternotomy versus video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung volume reduction surgery.

BACKGROUND: The National Emphysema Treatment Trial, a randomized trial comparing lung volume reduction surgery with medical therapy for severe emphysema, included randomized and nonrandomized comparisons of the median sternotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic approaches for lung volume reduction surgery. METHODS: Lung volume reduction surgery was performed by median sternotomy only at 8 centers and video-assisted thoracoscopy only at 3 centers; 6 centers randomized the approach to lung volume reduction surgery. Mortality, morbidity, functional status, and costs were assessed. RESULTS: In the nonrandomized comparison, 359 patients received lung volume reduction surgery by median sternotomy, and 152 patients received lung volume reduction surgery by video-assisted thoracoscopy. The 90-day mortality was 5.9% for median sternotomy and 4.6% for video-assisted thoracoscopy (P =.67). Overall mortality was 0.08 deaths per person-year for median sternotomy and 0.10 deaths per person-year for video-assisted thoracoscopy (video-assisted thoracoscopy-median sternotomy risk ratio, 1.18; P =.42). Complication rates were low and not statistically different for the 2 approaches. The median hospital length of stay was longer for median sternotomy than for video-assisted thoracoscopy (10 vs 9 days; P =.01). By 30 days after surgery, 70.5% of median sternotomy patients and 80.9% of video-assisted thoracoscopy patients were living independently (P =.02). Functional outcomes were similar for median sternotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopy at 12 and 24 months. Costs for the operation and the associated hospital stay and costs in the 6 months after surgery were both less for video-assisted thoracoscopy than for median sternotomy (P <.01 in both cases). Similar results were noted for the randomized comparison. CONCLUSIONS: Morbidity and mortality were comparable after lung volume reduction surgery by video-assisted thoracoscopy or median sternotomy, as were functional results. The video-assisted thoracoscopic approach to lung volume reduction surgery allowed earlier recovery at a lower cost than median sternotomy.

Prospective randomized study evaluating a biodegradable polymeric sealant for sealing intraoperative air leaks that occur during pulmonary resection.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new biodegradable polymeric sealant to close intraoperative air leaks after pulmonary resection. METHODS: In a multicenter prospective randomized trial, 161 patients with a median age of 67 years old (range 18-85 years old), were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive sealant or control for at least one significant air leak (> or = 2.0 mm in size) after pulmonary resection. In the sealant group, all significant air leaks underwent attempted repair by standard methods (sutures, staples, or cautery) prior to the application of sealant. The control group underwent only standard methods. Blood was analyzed for immunologic response. Patients were followed up 1 month after surgery. RESULTS: Intraoperative air leaks were sealed in 77% of the sealant group compared with 16% in the control group (p < 0.001). The sealant group had significantly fewer patients with postoperative air leaks compared with the control group (65% vs 86%, p = 0.005). Median length of hospitalization was 6 days (range, 3-23 days) for the sealant group compared with 7 days (range 4-38 days) for controls (p = 0.028). There was no difference in mortality, morbidity, duration of chest tubes, or immune responses between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a biodegradable polymer when used as an adjunct to standard closure methods for sealing significant intraoperative air leaks that develop from pulmonary surgery. Use of the sealant led to a reduction in postoperative air leaks, which may have decreased the length of hospitalization.

Malignant monotypic epithelioid angiomyolipoma of the retroperitoneum.

Monotypic epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML) is an uncommon variant of angiomyolipoma, occurring primarily in the kidney and characterized by a predominance of HMB-45-positive epithelioid cells. EAML is generally considered a benign neoplasm, though rare cases exhibiting malignant behavior have been reported. We describe a patient with a primary retroperitoneal monotypic EAML, composed exclusively of atypical epithelioid cells, which metastasized to the liver and the mediastinum. This case represents, to our knowledge, the first description of metastatic disease occurring in an EAML of this particular site.

Patterns of survival and recurrence after surgical treatment of early stage non-small cell lung carcinoma in the ACOSOG Z0030 (ALLIANCE) trial.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical resection has been the mainstay of curative treatment of early stage lung cancer in selected patients. We evaluated survival and patterns of recurrence after surgical resection for early stage lung cancer from the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0030/Alliance trial. METHODS: One thousand eighteen patients enrolled in the Z0030 trial were analyzed according to clinical T stage. Differences between groups were compared using the 2-sample rank test or χ(2) test. Log rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to compare survival and recurrence. To compare patients who underwent open versus video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) resections, propensity-score matched analysis was performed. Seven hundred fifty-two patients (66 undergoing VATS and 686 undergoing open surgery) were classified into 5 equal-sized propensity-score groups. Proportional hazards regression was used to compare these outcomes. RESULTS: There were 578 patients with cT1 tumors and 440 patients with cT2 tumors. Median follow-up was 6.7 years. Median overall survival was 9.1 years (stage T1) and 6.5 years (stage T2). Overall survival at 5 years was 72% (stage T1) and 55% (stage T2). Local recurrence-free survival at 5 years was 95% (stage T1) and 91% (stage T2) (P = .015). Among patients with stage T1 cancer, 4.2% (23 out of 542) had local recurrences, whereas 7.3% (30 out of 409) of those with stage T2 tumors had local failure. There was no difference in the development of new primary tumors between stage T1 and stage T2 groups. In the propensity-score matched analysis of VATS versus open lobectomy patients, there was no difference in overall survival, disease-free survival, and freedom from development of a new primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Results of patients with resected early stage non-small cell carcinoma from a large-scale, multicenter trial serve as benchmarks against which to compare nonsurgical therapies for early stage lung cancer. Propensity-score matched analysis shows no difference in survival between patients undergoing VATS and open lobectomy.