Outcomes after pulmonary lobectomy in patients with history of head and neck carcinoma.

Abstract

BACKGROUND\nWe aimed to determine whether video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was associated with better short-term outcomes compared to open approach and to determine factors affecting long term survival after lobectomy in patients with history of head and neck carcinoma (HNC).\n\n\nMETHODS\nWe performed a retrospective monocentric analysis of consecutive standard lobectomies performed for lung cancer in patients with history of HNC between 2010 and 2017. Patients characteristics, surgical approach, lung tumor histology, in-hospital and 90-days morbi-mortality and long term survival were analyzed; VATS and open lobectomy groups were compared.\n\n\nRESULTS\nAmong 85 patients, 52 underwent an open lobectomy and 33 a VATS lobectomy. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding age, preoperative characteristics, pathology and stage of lung cancer (All p\u202f=\u202fNS). In the VATS group, there was a significant decrease in proportion of in-hospital postoperative life-threatening complications requiring hospitalization in intensive care unit (12/52 vs. 1/33, p\u202f=\u202f0.01). The 90-days postoperative comprehensive complication index was significantly increased in the open thoracotomy group (median (interquartile range):33.5 (0-53.5) vs. 8.7 (0-34.1), p\u202f=\u202f0.018). Long term survival was not significantly different between the 2 groups - Log-rank test comparison, p\u202f=\u202fNS). Patients with squamous cell histology presented a significantly poorer survival (both Log-rank test comparison, p\xa0<\xa00.01).\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nMinimally invasive approach improved in-hospital and 90-days outcomes compared to open surgery for lung cancer resection in patients with history of HNC. The poor long-term results in patients with squamous cell carcinoma highlight the need to improve therapeutic strategies for this subset of patients.