Survival Outcomes of Lobectomy Versus Segmentectomy in Clinical Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Introduction The gold standard surgical therapy for patients with clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. Meanwhile, segmentectomy has emerged as an alternative choice with the advantage of fewer postoperative complications. The acceptance of this procedure remains controversial, and conflicting results exist in the retrospective trials. Objectives The aim of this meta-analysis was to analyze the survival outcomes of lobectomy versus segmentectomy in clinical stage I NSCLC. Methods A computerized literature search was done on published trials in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to June 2019 to identify clinical trials. Lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS) were measured as outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed in the Meta-analysis Revman 5.3 software. Results A systematic literature search was conducted including seven studies. In this meta-analysis, the LCSS and OS in the lobectomy group were linked to a markedly lower trend in comparison to the segmentectomy group without significant statistical difference (P > 0.05), indicating that lobectomy confers an equivalent survival outcome compared with segmentectomy. Conclusion No significant differences were found in survival outcomes between lobectomy and segmentectomy. Further large-scale, prospective, randomized trials are needed to explore reasonable surgical treatments for early-stage lung cancer.

Automated summary

This meta-analysis compared survival outcomes of lobectomy versus segmentectomy in clinical stage I NSCLC and found no significant difference between the two procedures. Further large-scale, prospective, randomized trials are needed to explore reasonable surgical treatments for early-stage lung cancer.