Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for stage I non-small cell lung cancer: long-term survival and prognostic factors

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) major pulmonary resection in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Of the 411 stage I patients, 318 (77.4 %) underwent complete VATS (c-VATS), while 89 (21.7 %) underwent assisted VATS (a-VATS). There were no intraoperative deaths. There were three deaths (0.7 %) within 30 postoperative days. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 95.1 % (95 % CI, 92.9–97.3 %), 83.1 % (95 % CI, 79.2–87.0 %), and 73.4 % (95 % CI, 68.1–78.7 %), respectively. Univariate analysis by log-rank test revealed that tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, primary tumor (pT) status, and type of resection were statistically significant factors affecting overall survival (OS; P = 0.029, P = 0.025, and P = 0.005, respectively). Less acute TNM stage and less extensive resection were significantly predictive for longer OS by multivariate analysis as well ( P = 0.024 and P = 0.006, respectively). In experienced hands, c-VATS or a-VATS can be considered as an alternative to traditional incision in patients with stage I NSCLC. Lower TNM stage and less extensive resection were significantly predictive for better OS. A prospective randomized controlled study on a larger scale is required to reach definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of VATS relative to other techniques.