Objective. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to assess potential differences in perioperative outcomes and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with pathological stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent minimally invasive anatomical segmentectomy or lobectomy. Methods. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search of EMBASE (through Ovid), MEDLINE (via PubMed), and Cochrane CENTRAL was conducted. Two researchers independently reviewed each eligible study that included patients with stage IA NSCLC who underwent minimally invasive anatomical segmentectomy and lobectomy and compared perioperative and/or survival outcomes of patients. Results. A total of 887 publications were identified. Of these, 10 articles met our eligibility criteria. A significantly higher number of lymph nodes were harvested in lobectomies. The two groups did not significantly differ in postoperative complication rates, DFS, and OS. Patients who underwent segmentectomy had shorter postoperative hospital stays. Conclusions. Minimally invasive lobectomy and segmentectomy showed comparable short-term and long-term outcomes in stage IA NSCLC patients. Postoperative complication rates were similar. Minimally invasive lobectomies are associated with a higher number of harvested lymph nodes, although this did not affect the final staging or the survival outcomes.

Our goal was to assess the safety, feasibility and oncological outcomes of non-intubated thoracoscopic lobectomies for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A comprehensive search was performed in EMBASE (via Ovid), MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Cochrane CENTRAL from January 2004 to March 2020. Studies comparing non-intubated anaesthesia with intubated anaesthesia for thoracoscopic lobectomy for NSCLC were included. An exploratory systematic review and a meta-analysis were performed by combining the reported outcomes of the individual studies using a random effects model. For dichotomous outcomes, risk ratios were calculated and for continuous outcomes, the mean difference was used. Three retrospective cohort studies were included, with a total of 204 patients. The comparison between non-intubated and intubated patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy showed no statistically significant differences in postoperative complication rates [risk ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36–1.16; P = 0.30; I2 = 17%], operating times (mean difference −12.40, 95% CI −28.57 to 3.77; P = 0.15; I2 = 48%), length of hospital stay (mean difference −1.13, 95% CI −2.32 to 0.05; P = 0.90; I2 = 0%) and number of dissected lymph nodes (risk ratio 0.92, 95% CI 0.78–1.25; P = 0.46; I2 = 0%). Despite the limitation of only 3 papers included, awake and intubated thoracoscopic lobectomies for resectable NSCLC seem to have comparable perioperative and postoperative outcomes. Nevertheless, the oncological implications of the non-intubated approach should be considered. The long-term benefits for patients with lung cancer need to be carefully assessed.

Background: The ratio of hemoglobin to red cell distribution width (HRR) has been described as an effective prognostic factor in several types of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic role of preoperative HRR in resected-lung-adenocarcinoma patients. Methods: We enrolled 342 consecutive patients. Age, sex, surgical resection, adjuvant treatments, pathological stage, preoperative hemoglobin, red cell distribution width, and their ratio were recorded for each patient. Results: Mean age was 66 years (SD: 9.0). There were 163 females (47.1%); 169 patients (49.4%) had tumors at stage I, 71 (20.8%) at stage II, and 102 (29.8%) at stage III. In total, 318 patients (93.0%) underwent lobectomy, and 24 (7.0%) pneumonectomy. Disease-free survival multivariable analysis disclosed an increased hazard ratio (HR) of relapse for preoperative HRR lower than 1.01 (HR = 2.20, 95%CI: (1.30–3.72), p = 0.004), as well as for N1 single-node (HR = 2.55, 95%CI: (1.33–4.90), p = 0.005) and multiple-level lymph node involvement compared to N0 for both N1 (HR = 9.16, 95%CI:(3.65–23.0), p < 0.001) and N2 (HR = 10.5, 95%CI:(3.44–32.2, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Pre-operative HRR is an effective prognostic factor of disease-free survival in resected-lung-adenocarcinoma patients, together with the level of pathologic node involvement.

Background: Artificial neural networks are statistical methods that mimic complex neural connections, simulating the learning dynamics of the human brain. They play a fundamental role in clinical decision-making, although their success depends on good integration with clinical protocols. When applied to lung cancer research, artificial neural networks do not aim to be biologically realistic, but rather to provide efficient models for nonlinear regression or classification. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of EMBASE (via Ovid), MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane CENTRAL, and Google Scholar from April 2018 to December 2022, using a combination of keywords and related terms for “artificial neural network”, “lung cancer”, “non-small cell lung cancer”, “diagnosis”, and “treatment”. Results: Artificial neural networks have shown excellent aptitude in learning the relationships between the input/output mapping from a given dataset, without any prior information or assumptions about the statistical distribution of the data. They can simultaneously process numerous variables, managing complexity; hence, they have found broad application in tasks requiring attention. Conclusions: Lung cancer is the most common and lethal form of tumor, with limited diagnostic and treatment methods. The advances in tailored medicine have led to the development of novel tools for diagnosis and treatment. Artificial neural networks can provide valuable support for both basic research and clinical decision-making. Therefore, tight cooperation among surgeons, oncologists, and biostatisticians appears mandatory.

Review Article Impact of the extent of lung resection on postoperative outcomes of pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal cancer metastases: an exploratory systematic review Elena Prisciandaro, Laurens J. Ceulemans, Dirk E. Van Raemdonck, Herbert Decaluwé, Paul De Leyn, Luca Bertolaccini

OBJECTIVES: To assess the current practice of pulmonary metastasectomy at 15 European Centres. Short- and long-term outcomes were analysed. METHODS: Retrospective analysis on patients ≥18 years who underwent curative-intent pulmonary metastasectomy (January 2010 to December 2018). Data were collected on a purpose-built database (REDCap). Exclusion criteria were: previous lung/extrapulmonary metastasectomy, pneumonectomy, non-curative intent and evidence of extrapulmonary recurrence at the time of lung surgery. RESULTS: A total of 1647 patients [mean age 59.5 (standard deviation; SD = 13.1) years; 56.8% males] were included. The most common primary tumour was colorectal adenocarcinoma. The mean disease-free interval was 3.4 (SD = 3.9) years. Relevant comorbidities were observed in 53.8% patients, with a higher prevalence of metabolic disorders (32.3%). Video-assisted thoracic surgery was the chosen approach in 54.9% cases. Wedge resections were the most common operation (67.1%). Lymph node dissection was carried out in 41.4% cases. The median number of resected lesions was 1 (interquartile range 25–75% = 1–2), ranging from 1 to 57. The mean size of the metastases was 18.2 (SD = 14.1) mm, with a mean negative resection margin of 8.9 (SD = 9.4) mm. A R0 resection of all lung metastases was achieved in 95.7% cases. Thirty-day postoperative morbidity was 14.5%, with the most frequent complication being respiratory failure (5.6%). Thirty-day mortality was 0.4%. Five-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival were 62.0% and 29.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary metastasectomy is a low-risk procedure that provides satisfactory oncological outcomes and patient survival. Further research should aim at clarifying the many controversial aspects of its daily clinical practice.