Objective To evaluate the safety，efficacy，short- and long-term clinical outcomes of complete video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods Clinical data of231 consecutive patients with NSCLC who underwent complete VATS lobectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of NanjingMedical University between June 2006 and March 2011 were retrospective analyzed. There were 132 male and 99 femalepatients with their age of 15-81 （59.51±11.90） years. Preoperative cancer staging wasⅠa in 149 patients，Ⅰb in 50 patients，Ⅱa in 14 patients，Ⅱb in 13 patients and Ⅲa in 5 patients. There were 152 patients with adenocarcinoma，41 patients with squamous carcinoma，23 patients with bronchioalveolar carcinoma，5 patients with adenosquamous carcinoma，4 patients with large cell carcinoma，and 6 patients with other carcinoma. Follow-up data were statistically analyzed，and short-and long-term survival rates were calculated. Results No perioperative mortality was observed. Operation time was 60-370（199.14±51.04） minutes，and intraoperative blood loss was 10-2 300 （168.19±176.39） ml. Thirty-seven patients had postoperative complications including air leak，pulmonary infection，atelectasis，arrhythmia，subcutaneous emphysema andothers，who were all cured after conservative treatment. Mean number of dissected lymph nodes was 11.14±5.49，and meannumber of explored nodal stations was 3.66±1.52. There were 51 patients （22.08%） whose postoperative cancer staging wasmore advanced than preoperative cancer staging. Postoperative hospital stay was 3-36 （10.79±5.13） days. Primary causesof prolonged postoperative hospitalization included pulmonary air leak，pulmonary infection，preoperative concomitant chronic pulmonary diseases （COPD，asthma），and moderate to severe pulmonary dysfunction. A total of 228 patients werefollowed up for a mean duration of 40.83 months （22-82 months），and 3 patients were lost during follow-up. Overall 5-yearsurvival rates were 85.78%，52.54% and 32.70% for stageⅠ，stageⅡand stageⅢ-Ⅳpatients respectively. Five-year cancerfreesurvival rates were 80.00%，45.37% and 20.99% for stageⅠ，stageⅡand stageⅢ-Ⅳpatients respectively. ConclusionThe advantages of VATS lobectomy include smaller surgical incision，less injury and postoperative pain，quicker postoperative recovery and shorter hospital stay. Long-term survival rate is comparable to previous international and Chinese studies. VATS lobectomy can anatomically achieve complete tumor resection and systematic lymph node dissection. VATS lobectomy will become a standard surgical procedure for NSCLC patients.
Objective To investigate the perioperative differences between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and thoracotomy after neoadjuvant therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Clinical data of NSCLC patients who underwent VATS or thoracotomy after neoadjuvant therapy at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from June 2020 to May 2022 were retrospectively collected. Perioperative outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 260 patients were enrolled, 184 (70.8%) patients underwent VATS and 76 (29.2%) patients underwent thoracotomy. After propensity matching, there were 113 (62.4%) patients in the VATS group and 68 (37.6%) patients in the thoracotomy group. VATS had similar lymph node dissection ability and postoperative complication rate with thoracotomy (P>0.05), with the advantage of having shorter operative time (146.00 min vs. 165.00 min, P=0.006), less intraoperative blood loss (50.00 mL vs. 100.00 mL, P<0.001), lower intraoperative blood transfusion rate (0.0% vs. 7.4%, P=0.003), less 3-day postoperative drainage (250.00 mL vs. 350.00 mL, P=0.011; 180.00 mL vs. 250.00 mL, P=0.002; 150.00 mL vs. 235.00 mL, P<0.001), and shorter postoperative drainage time (9.34 d vs. 13.84 d, P<0.001) and postoperative hospitalization time (6.19 d vs. 7.94 d, P=0.006). Conclusion VATS after neoadjuvant therapy for NSCLC is safer than thoracotomy and results in better postoperative recovery.
Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer by Single-direction Four-hole Complete Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Lobectomy HUANG Jia, ZHAO Xiao-jing, LIN Hao, TAN Qiang, DING Zheng-ping, LUO Qing-quan. (Shanghai Lung Tumor Clinical Medical Center, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai 200030, P. R. China) Corresponding author：LUO Qing-quan, Email：luoqingquan@hotmail. com Abstract： Objective To explore the feasibility and safety of single-direction four-hole video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Between January 2007 and December 2010, 428 patients with NSCLC were surgically treated by single-direction complete video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy in Shanghai Chest Hospital. There were 186 males and 242 females; aged 33 to 78 years. All the patients were diagnosed as primary NSCLC at early clinical stage. Among the 428 patients, 134 patients underwent right upper lobectomy, 48 patients underwent right middle lobectomy, 98 patients underwent right lower lobectomy, 4 patients underwent right middle and lower lobectomy, 72 patients underwent left upper lobectomy, and 72 patients underwent left lower lobectomy. All the 428 patients were divided into two groups according to their surgical approach：a three-hole group (300 patients) and a four-hole group (128 patients).The clinical results of the two groups were analyzed. Results A total of 412 patients underwent complete video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy, and 16 patients (3.7%) underwent conversion to open surgery. The average operation time was 132.1 (120-180) min, average length of incision was 3.7 (3-5) cm, and average blood loss was 150.0 (50-800) ml. There was no statistical difference in extubation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups. But the operation time of the four-hole group is significantly shorter than that of the three-hole group （P＜0.05）. The 16 patients who underwent conversion to open surgery received intraoperative blood transfusion. Five patients died of severe pulmonary infection, pulmonary embolism, and acute cerebral infarction. Fifty two patients had squamous cancer, 340 patients had adenocarcinoma, 20 patients had adenosquamous carcinoma, 8 patients had poorly differentiated carcinoma, 6 patients had big cell lung cancer, and 2 patients had carcinoid. Postoperative persistent lung air leak occurred in 4 patients, thoracic empyema in 2 patients, pulmonary infection in 4 patients, arrhythmia in 26 patients, pulmonary embolism in 2 patients, chylothorax in 2 patients, and acute cerebral infarction in 2 patients. The overall 3-year survival rate was 83.6%（358/428）. Conclusion Single-direction four-hole complete video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy is feasible, safe and consistent with the operation standard in the surgical treatment for NSCLC patient. It is also helpful to reduce the operation time and facilitate lymph node dissection. Key words： Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery； Lobectomy； Single-direction； Four-hole； Non-small cell lung cancer
Objective To investigate the clinical significance of serum cystatin C ( Cys C) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) .Methods The serumlevel of cystatin C was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA) in patients with NSCLC, patients with benign lung diseases, and normal controls. Results The serum level of Cys C in the NSCLC patients was much higher than those in the patients with benign lung diseases and the normal control subjects [ ( 1.47 ±0.78) mg/L vs. ( 1.04 ±0.51) mg/L and ( 1.06 ±0.36) mg/L, Plt;0.01] . The level of Cys C in the NSCLC patients was significantly related to clinical stage [ TNM stage -Ⅱ vs. Ⅲ-Ⅳ: ( 1.38 ±0.88) mg/L vs. ( 1.57 ± 0.79) mg/L] , lymph node metastasis [ metastatic vs. non-metastatic: ( 1.83 ±0.97) mg/L vs. ( 1.06 ± 0.39) mg/L] , and differentiation degree [ medium-high differentiation vs. low differentiation: ( 1.63 ± 0.73) mg/L vs. ( 1.26 ±0.48) mg/L] ( all Plt;0.05) . However no correlation of Cys C with gender, age, and histological type was revealed ( Pgt;0.05) . Conclusion Cys C may contribute to the occurrence and development of NSCLC.
Objective To study the expressions of Livin, Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 in lung tissue of nonsmall cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) , and their relationship with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of NSCLC. Methods The expressions of Livin, Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 proteins were evaluated by immunohistochemical method in 87 NSCLC samples and 40 lung benign tissues. The relationship of their expressions with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of NSCLC were analyzed by Spearman’s Rank correlation and COX Regression. Results More NSCLC tissues showed expression of Livin than lung benign tissues( 72. 41% vs 0. 0% , P = 0. 000 ) , and the expression of Caspase-3 was significantly decreased ( 67. 82% vs 87. 5%, P lt; 0. 05 ) . The proteins of Livin, Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 were detected in the endochylema but none was detected in nucelus. There was no relationship between the expression of each of these proteins and the clinicopathological features of NSCLC such as histologic type, tumor differentiation,lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, the size of tumor, and tumor site. The expression of Livin was correlated with Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 expressions ( r1 = - 0. 260, P = 0. 015; r2 = 0. 351, P = 0. 001) . Livin, Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 were not independent prognostic factors of NSCLC. Conclusions The expression of Livin and Bcl-2 are up-regulated in NSCLC. The expression of Livin is positively correlated with that of Caspase-3 and Bcl-2, they might interact with each other in the carcinogenesis and development of NSCLC. The levels of Livin, BCl-2 and Caspase-3 proteins are not independent factors affecting the prognosis of lung cancer patients.
Objective To compare the short-term efficacy and long-term survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated by uniportal or three portal thoracoscopic radical resection. Methods A total of 388 patients who underwent uniportal or three portal thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Anhui Chest Hospital from 2015 to 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups including an uniportal group and a three portal group according to the procedure. The clinicopathological features, perioperative data and long-term survival of the two groups were compared. Results Finally, we included 205 patients with 105 males and 100 females at an average age of 58.73±10.93 years. There were 102 patients in the uniportal group and 103 patients in the three portal group. There was no statistical difference in clinicopathological features between the two groups (P>0.05). But compared with the three portal group, the uniportal group had less postoperative drainage, shorter postoperative catheterization time and postoperative hospital stay (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the number of lymph node dissection stations between the two groups (P=0.058). The pain score at 24 hours after operation in the uniportal group was significantly lower than that in the three portal group (P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in the total incidence of complications and the incidence of pulmonary complications between the two groups (P=0.161 and P=0.275). The median survival period and the 1st, 3rd, and 5th year survival rate in the uniportal group was 63.0 months and 95.0%, 75.2%, 51.5%, respectively. The median survival period and the 1st, 3rd, and 5th year survival rate in the three portal group was 61.0 months and 89.3%, 70.9%, 50.5%, respectively. There was no satistical difference in the survival results between the two groups (P=0.440). Conclusion Uniportal thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer is more minimally invasive and safe and effective in the treatment of NSCLC. It can make patients recover faster after operation.
Objectives To investigate the effects of the distribution of tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) on prognosis in the patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Methods The number of CD68+ macrophages in 136 lung cancer nest and stroma was counted simultaneously by labelled streptavidin biotin method(LSAB）,and its correlation with patient postoperation prognosis was analyzed. Results CD68 macrophas were observed in both inside and around the cancer tissue,The mean TAMs in cancer stroma (36.00/HFP) was higher than that in cancer nest (23.80/HFP,Plt;0.05). Mean TAMs in nest of stage Ⅰ＋Ⅱ cancer was significantly higher than that of stageⅢ＋Ⅳ cancer（32.60/HFP vs. 14.80/HFP,Plt;0.05）,and mean TAMs in stroma of stage Ⅰ＋Ⅱ cancer was significantly lower than that of stage Ⅲ＋Ⅳ cancer（24.30/HFP vs. 47.60/HFP,Plt;0.05）.The number of TAMs in cancer nest and the ratio of nest TAMs /stoma TAMs were both positively correlated with the patient survival time (rs=0.510, 0.633, respectively). Otherwise the number of TAMs in cancer stroma was negatively correlated with the patient survival time (rs=-0.187). Five-year survival rate in patients with high density TAMs in cancer nest was significantly higher than that in patients with low density TAMs (51.4% vs. 11.1%, Plt;0.05), while reverse correlation between TAMs in cancer stroma and patient 5-year survival rate was observed (18.9% vs. 44.4%,Plt;0.05). And 5 year suvival rate in patients with high ratio of nest/stroma TAMs was higher than that with low ratio (58.1% vs.4.2%,Plt;0.01). Conclusion Cox regressive prognostic analysis showed that the higher the nest/stroma TAMs ratio, the higher probability of the patients survival time. While the higher number of TAMs in the cancer stroma, the lower probability of the patients survival time. Our results showed that distribution pattern of TAMs in cancer nest and cancer stroma could possibly be used to estimate the prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Abstract: Objective To observe the expression of integrinlinked kinase (ILK) and matrix metalloproteinases9 (MMP9) in human nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and investigate the correlation of ILK and MMP9 expression with the prognosis of NSCLC. Methods The expression of ILK and MMP9 in 75 specimens of NSCLC resected from January 2002 to January 2004 were detected by immunohistochemistry. According to the median of integral optical density (IOD), all patients were divided into the high or low ILK expression group and the high or low MMP-9 expression group. The relativity of ILK and MMP9 was determined, and the relationship of survival time with clinical features including expression of ILK and MMP-9 was compared by Logrank test. Results Both ILK and MMP-9 were expressed in NSCLC specimens. The expression between ILK and MMP-9 was positively correlated in 75 patients of our group (r=0.79, Plt;0.05). Patients with lower expression of ILK and MMP9 had a significantly longer survival time than those with higher expression of ILK and MMP-9 in the postoperative followup (χ2=15.067,14301,Plt;0.05). The survival time was not correlated with sex,age,smoking history or pathological type(χ2=0450,0078, 1.460, 1.623，Pgt;0.05), while tumor diameter, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, the expression of ILK and MMP-9 significantly influenced the survival time (χ2=3.963, 15.169,20.529, 15.067，14.301，Plt;0.05). Conclusion The expression of ILK and MMP9 affects the prognosis of NSCLC. MMP-9 may advance infiltration and metastasis of tumor cells through ILK pathway. In summary, the expression of ILK and MMP9 may play an important role in the evaluation of prognosis for patients with NSCLC.
Objective To assess the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy with complete resection for non-small cell lung cancer. Methods We searched MEDLINE （1966 ～ 2005 ）, EMBASE （1984-2005 ）, The Cochrane Library （Issue 2,2005 ）, CBMdisc （1979-2005 ）, CNKI （1994-2005 ）, VIP （1989-2005 ）, CMCC （1994-2005 ） and Wanfang Database with key words of non-small cell lung cancer or NSCLC and adjuvant chemotherapy, to identify randomized control trials （RCTs） of platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy plus complete resection versus complete resection alone for non-small cell lung cancer patients. Two reviewers evaluated the quality of literature independently. Then we conducted meta-analysis using RevMan 4.2.7 software. Results We identified 9 RCTs and did not carry out pool analysis for the difference of chemotherapy regimens between the studies. The results of three studies showed that 5 years＇ mortality of adjuvant chemotherapy group was lower than that of surgery group alone. The results of the other 6 studies showed there was no statistical difference in 5 years＇ mortality between the adjuvant chemotherapy plus surgery and surgery alone groups. Conclusions The effectiveness of some adjuvant chemotherapy regimens with complete resection in patients with non-small cell lung cancer has been improved. But the number of each chemotherapy regimen RCT is too small and with poor quality. So more multi-center RCTs with a larger sample size and high quality are needed.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common types of cancer in the world and is an important cause for cancer death. Although the application of immunotherapy in recent years has greatly improved the prognosis of NSCLC, there are still huge challenges in the treatment of NSCLC. The immune microenvironment plays an important role in the process of NSCLC development, infiltration and metastasis, and they can interact and influence each other, forming a vicious circle. Notably, single-cell RNA sequencing enables high-resolution analysis of individual cells and is of great value in revealing cell types, cell evolution trajectories, molecular mechanisms of cell differentiation, and intercellular regulation within the immune microenvironment. Single-cell RNA sequencing is expected to uncover more promising immunotherapies. This article reviews the important researches and latest achievements of single-cell RNA sequencing in the immune microenvironment of NSCLC, and aims to explore the significance of applying single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze the immune microenvironment of NSCLC.