Surgical outcome of combined subsegmentectomy in the right upper lobe for GGO -dominant early stage lung cancer: Analysis of 7 cases

Abstract

Combined subsegmentectomy (CSS) is procedure as diagnostic purpose adding sufficient surgical margin. Compared to other procedure, CSS is not common, with the surgical results also being controversial. We analyzed the patients who had undergoing CSS in the right upper lobe for ground glass opacity (GGO) -dominant nodules. Between April 2011 and March 2017, we experienced 7 cases underwent CSS. In all cases, three subsegments resection and lymph node dissection using Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) was performed. The mean radiological tumor size was 1.4 (1.1–1.9) cm and the mean consolidation/tumor ratios was 19 (0–33) %. Pathological diagnosis was all t1a-pIA1 adenocarcinoma in all cases, curative resection was obtained with sufficient margin. There were no serious postoperative complications or death within 90 days after treatment. Unfortunately, one patient died of pneumonia 28 months after surgery, but there was no recurrence and other delayed adverse events (follow up period was mean 42.8 months). We conclude that CSS had effects on both tumor control and preservation of the residual lungs with tolerable complications. Keywords: Non-small cell lung cancer, Lung adenocarcinoma, Surgery, Subsegmentectomy, CSS