Prognostic significance of lymph nodes assessment during pulmonary metastasectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Lung metastasectomy is an accepted treatment modality worldwide. Whether the addition of lymph node dissection to the procedure is useful remains, however, unknown. METHODS We performed a systematic review of the literature analyzing MEDLINE, Embase, until 31st October 2021. We included all studies which met the inclusion criteria aiming to determine if the addition of lymph node tissue dissection/sampling to lung metastasectomy offers survival benefits when compared to patients who do receive lymph node tissue dissection. Secondary outcomes were 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Each study was assessed for risk of bias. The data collected from the included studies were pooled using reconstruction of individual-level patient data and pooling of reported 5-year odds ratios (ORs). Interstudy heterogeneity was estimated with visual inspection of forest plots and calculation of the I2 inconsistency statistic. RESULTS We found 11 eligible studies that included a total of 3,310 patients. The most common primary tumor type was colorectal cancer (1,740 patients) and the most commonly performed operative procedure was wedge resection (57%) followed by lobectomy (39%). When resection status was reported, R0 resection was achieved in 90% of the cases. Nine studies did not show a statistically significant effect of lymph nodes dissection or sampling on the 5-year OS with a pooled hazard ratio (HR) of 0.94 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82, 1.08; I2=26%; 95% prediction interval (PI): 0.70, 1.24]. Regarding DFS, the pooled HR 0.60 (95% CI: 0.44, 0.80; I2=31%; 95% PI: 0.12, 2.09). CONCLUSIONS The addition of lymph node tissue dissection during lung metastasectomy was not associated with a significant benefit in OS and showed a slight tendency towards a better DFS

Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Setting of Unilateral Agenesis of the Left Pulmonary Artery: A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review

Unilateral absence of the pulmonary artery (UAPA) represents a rare condition that is often associated with cardiac congenital abnormalities but can also be relatively asymptomatic and indolent. There is a lack of consensus regarding the management of UAPA. However, in the setting of associated complications and ongoing infection, pulmonary resection is advocated. Although rare, the association between UAPA and bronchogenic carcinoma has been previously reported in seven published cases. In the majority of these, anatomic lung resection (most commonly with pneumonectomy) was curative. We present the first reported case of ipsilateral metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer- (NSCLC-) associated UAPA in a 47-year-old patient with ventilator-dependent hypoxic respiratory failure and bronchorrhea, who had been lost to follow-up for 8 years. Initial investigations did not yield evidence of malignancy, and confirmation of metastatic disease was made intraoperatively at the time of thoracotomy. The findings demonstrated evidence of diffuse metastatic pleural disease with lymphangitic carcinomatosis and superimposed infection. The patient was palliated and passed away shortly thereafter. In the setting of UAPA, clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for the possibility of malignancy, and if proven, they should consider early resection following appropriate staging

Risk-adjusted performance evaluation in three academic thoracic surgery units using the Eurolung risk models

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of 3 thoracic surgery centres using the Eurolung risk models for morbidity and mortality.status: publishe

Pulmonary Intravascular B-Cell Lymphoma with Angiotropism/Angioinvasion Mimicking Interstitial Lung Disease: A Clinical Dilemma and Potential Diagnostic Challenge

Intravascular large B cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare type of extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Patients typically present with nonspecific findings, particularly bizarre neurologic symptoms, fever, and skin lesions. IVLBCL with primary lung presentation is very rare and difficult to diagnose. The authors report a case of a 75-year-old male who presented with neurological symptoms and showed diffuse pulmonary ground glass opacities on computed tomography scan (CT scan). Surgical lung biopsy was performed. Light microscopic examination of the specimen showed diffuse alveolar septal widening caused by neoplastic lymphocytes, which were positive for CD20. These atypical lymphoid cells also demonstrated angiotropism/angioinvasion of the medium sized pulmonary vessels. The patient was diagnosed with IVLBCL and underwent chemotherapy. The patient is still alive 12 months after diagnosis

Pneumonectomy for lung cancer in the elderly: lessons learned from a multicenter study.

Background 60% of patients diagnosed with lung cancer are older than 65 years and are at risk for substandard treatment due to a reluctance to recommend surgery. Pneumonectomy remains a high risk procedure especially in elderly patients. Nevertheless, the impact of age and neoadjuvant treatment on outcomes after pneumonectomy is still not well described. Methods We performed a multicentric retrospective study, analyzing outcomes of patients older than 70 years who underwent pneumonectomy for central primary lung malignancy between January 2009 and June 2019 in 7 thoracic surgery departments: Lucerne and Bern (Switzerland), Hamilton (Canada), Alicante (Spain), Monza (Italy), London (UK), Leuven (Belgium). Survival was estimated with Kaplan-Meier, and differences in survival were determined by log-rank analysis. We investigated pre- and post-operative prognostic factors using Cox proportional hazards regression model; multivariable analysis was performed only with variables, which were statistically significant at the invariable analysis. Results A total of 136 patients were included in the study. Mean age was 73.8 years (SD 3.6). 24 patients (17.6%) had an induction treatment (chemotherapy alone in 15 patients and chemo-radiation in 9). Mean length of stay (LOS) was 12.6 days (SD 10.39) and 74 patients (54.4%) had experienced a post-operative complication: 29 (21.3%) had a pulmonary complication, 33 (24.3%) had a cardiac complication and in 12 cases (8.8%) patients experienced both cardiac and pulmonary complications. 16 patients were readmitted [median LOS 13.7 days (range, 2-39 days)] and of those 14 (10.3%) required redo surgery. Median overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 38 months (95% CI: 29.9-46.1 months); in-hospital mortality was 1.5%, 30-day mortality rate was 3.7%, while 90-day mortality was 8.8% accounting for 5 and 12 patients respectively. Patients receiving neo-adjuvant therapy did not experience a higher incidence of postoperative complications (P=0.633), did not have a longer postoperative course (P=0.588), nor did they have an increased mortality rate (P=0.863). Conclusions Age should not be considered an absolute contraindication for pneumonectomy in elderly patients even after neoadjuvant treatment. It has become apparent that especially in these patients, a patient-tailored approach with a careful selection should be used to define the risk-benefit balance