Comparison of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic versus thoracotomy bronchial sleeve lobectomy with pulmonary arterioplasty for centrally located non-small-cell lung cancer

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of bronchial sleeve lobectomy with pulmonary arterioplasty by uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UniVATS) in centrally located non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods One hundred and two thoracotomy and 31 UniVATS cases were included in this retrospective, single-centre study. Baseline characteristics, perioperative performance and survival outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Results Compared with the thoracotomy group, the UniVATS group was associated with lower postoperative blood transfusion rate (P = 0.043), decreased postoperative hospital stays (P = 0.008), shorter drainage duration (P = 0.003) and less drainage volume during the first postoperative 24 h (P = 0.005). Besides, the 3-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival were comparable between the 2 groups (log-rank, P = 0.81 and P = 0.78, respectively). In addition, squamous cell carcinoma was proved to be the independent favourable predictor for overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.80; P = 0.008], and advanced pathological stage was found to be independently associated with worse overall survival (IIIB stage: HR 3.21, 95% CI 1.13-9.12; P = 0.028) and recurrence-free survival (IIIB stage: HR 3.54, 95% CI 1.32-9.51; P = 0.012). Conclusions With appropriate patient selection, UniVATS sleeve lobectomy with pulmonary arterioplasty is feasible and safe for centrally located lung cancer in the hands of thoracic surgeons with extensive thoracoscopy experience.