Surgical Outcomes of Lobectomy Versus Limited Resection for Clinical Stage I Ground-Glass Opacity Lung Adenocarcinoma 2 Centimeters or Smaller

The optimal resection for patients with clinical stage I ground-glass opacity (GGO) lung adenocarcinomas with maximum diameters ? 2 cm remains controversial. Our analysis revealed that lobectomy and limited resection are comparable oncologic procedures for patients with GGO-dominant tumor, while lobectomy resulted in better survival than limited resection for patients with solid-dominant tumor in this population. Background: To compare the surgical outcomes of patients with clinical stage I ground-glass opacity (GGO) lung adenocarcinomas with maximum diameters of < 2 cm who underwent lobectomy versus limited resection. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of clinical stage I GGO lung adenocarcinoma with a diameter < 2 cm that were treated via lobectomy or limited resection in our department between January 2011 and September 2018. The clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes were analyzed using a propensity score-matched comparison and a Cox regression model. Results: A total of 552 patients were identified; 128 patients with pure GGO were excluded. Four hundred twenty-four patients met our criteria, including 242 (57.1%) who underwent lobectomy and 182 (42.9%) who underwent limited resection. No perioperative mortality occurred in either group. The overall 5-year survival rate of the entire cohort was 88%. Patients who underwent limited resection tended to have a shorter operation time, smaller blood loss volume, fewer removed nodes, and a shorter postoperative stay. However, the groups did not differ in terms of postoperative complications. Lobectomy and limited resection could lead to equivalent overall survival in patients with GGO-dominant tumor, while lobectomy showed better overall survival than limited resection in patients with solid-dominant tumor. Conclusion: Patients with small GGO lung adenocarcinoma had a favorable prognosis after surgery. The oncologic surgical procedures of lobectomy and limited resection yielded comparable outcomes in patients with clinical stage I GGO-dominant lung adenocarcinomas < 2 cm, while lobectomy showed better survival than limited resection in patients with solid-dominant tumor.

Automated summary

For patients with clinical stage I ground-glass opacity (GGO) lung adenocarcinomas with maximum diameters ≤2 cm, lobectomy and limited resection are comparable oncologic procedures. However, lobectomy resulted in better survival for patients with solid-dominant tumors in this population.