Dirk Kaiser

Metastasectomy for synchronous solitary non-small cell lung cancer metastases.

BACKGROUND Surgical treatment of patients with limited metastatic lesions from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial; however, reports suggest that a subset of patients may benefit from complete resection including metastasectomy. METHODS Between 1997 and 2009, 99 patients underwent complete solitary synchronous NSCLC metastasis resection in a single center. Only patients who met the potentially curative operation criteria (ie, primary NSCLC and metastasis resection of a solitary pulmonary or solitary extrapulmonary metastases) were included for retrospective analyses within this study. RESULTS The overall 5-year survival rate was 38%. A significantly longer survival was observed in patients without mediastinal (N2 or N3) lymph node involvement (median, 50.0 months) compared with patients who had mediastinal lymph node metastases (median, 19.0 months survival; p=0.015). In patients with a solitary metastasis in the ipsilateral (not ipsilobar) or contralateral lung, we observed a 5-year survival rate of 48.5%, whereas the rate was 23.6% in patients with extrapulmonary metastases (p=0.006). In univariate analysis, a trend for a more favorable long-term survival rate was observed for patients with a histologic grade of G1 or G2 versus G3 primary NSCLC (p=0.058). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that metastasectomy for synchronous oligometastatic disease in NSCLC can be performed in selected patients. It appears reasonable that such patients should be considered as surgical candidates if mediastinal lymph node involvement is excluded.

Value of flexible bronchoscopy in the pre-operative work-up of solitary pulmonary nodules

The diagnostic value of flexible bronchoscopy in the pre-operative work-up of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN) is still under debate among pneumologists, radiologists and thoracic surgeons. In a prospective observational manner, flexible bronchoscopy was routinely performed in 225 patients with SPN of unknown origin. Of the 225 patients, 80.5% had lung cancer, 7.6% had metastasis of an extrapulmonary primary tumour and 12% had benign aetiology. Unsuspected endobronchial involvement was found in 4.4% of all 225 patients (or in 5.5% of patients with lung cancer). In addition, flexible bronchoscopy clarified the underlying aetiology in 41% of the cases. The bronchoscopic biopsy results from the SPN were positive in 84 (46.5%) patients with lung cancer. Surgery was cancelled due to the results of flexible bronchoscopy in four cases (involvement of the right main bronchus (impaired pulmonary function did not allow pneumonectomy) n=1, small cell lung cancer n=1, bacterial pneumonia n=2), and the surgical strategy had to be modified to bilobectomy in one patient. Flexible bronchoscopy changed the planned surgical approach in five cases substantially. These results suggest that routine flexible bronchoscopy should be included in the regular pre-operative work-up of patients with SPN.

Impact of preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT on survival of resected mono-metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES Surgery has been available for the treatment of mono-metastatic, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and promising overall survival was observed in some retrospective studies with selected patients. This study investigated whether the preoperative 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET/CT) scan influences survival in this patient group. Furthermore we tried to identify other prognostic factors associated with survival and aimed to clarify if synchronous metastases are different from metachronous disease. METHODS Between 1994 and 2012, 181 patients underwent resection for solitary metastases. Sixty-six patients underwent surgery after an initial FDG-PET/CT scan, whereas 115 patients underwent conventional preoperative staging by a spiral CT scan. RESULTS The overall 5-year survival rate was 38.8%. The 5-year survival rates after preoperative evaluation by FDG-PET/CT and by conventional CT were 58% and 33%, respectively (p=0.01). A higher 5-year survival rate was observed in patients without thoracic lymph node involvement (pN0: 44% vs. pN1-3: 33%, p=0.028). In patients with a solitary pulmonary metastasis, we observed a 5-year survival rate of 45.7%, whereas in patients with extrapulmonary metastases, the 5-year survival rate was 27.1% (p=0.001). In patients with a locally limited primary lung cancer according to the pT descriptor, we observed a 5-year survival rate of 53.1%, whereas in patients with a pT>1 descriptor, the 5-year survival rate was 33.6% (p=0.016). By multivariate analyses, we showed that preoperative FDG-PET/CT evaluation, no thoracic lymph node metastases, and sole pulmonary metastatic disease were favorable predictors of survival, whereas the time of metastasis (synchronous vs. metachronous) and maximum standardized uptake value was not. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that resection of the primary tumor and metastasectomy for mono-metastatic NSCLC can be performed after a comprehensive evaluation with FDG-PET/CT. N-stage and the site of the oligometastases have a significant influence on overall survival.

Pneumocephalus Following Thoracic Surgery with Posterior Chest Wall Resection

Pneumocephalus can be seen after head injury with fracture of the skull-base or in cerebral neoplasm, infection, or after intracranial or spinal surgery. We report on a 69-year-old male patient with pneumocephalus after right-sided lobectomy and en bloc resection of the chest wall for non-small-cell lung cancer. Postoperatively, the patient showed a reduced vigilance level with no response to pain stimuli and anisocoria. The CCT scan revealed an extensive pneumocephalus; following which, the patient underwent neurosurgery with laminectomy and ligature of the transected nerve roots. After operation the patient returned to his baseline mental status.