Posted on 03/25/2023 8:12:27 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
The traditional treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer is a lobectomy, where a surgeon eradicates cancerous tissue by removing an entire lung lobe.
Yet, new research finds that select patients with early-stage disease who undergo a less invasive procedure have comparable outcomes.
The 10-year study adds evidence that supports a new standard to preserve lung tissue in cancer patients whenever possible.
697 patients with peripheral stage 1 tumors less than 2 centimeters in size were randomly assigned to undergo a lobectomy or a sublobar resection, where part of the cancerous lobe is removed.
In the latter, patients received either a wedge resection, which involves removing a nonanatomic, wedge-shaped piece of tissue containing the tumor, or an anatomical segmentectomy in which surgeons remove the anatomic lung segment with the tumor, along with the small airway, individual artery and vein that feed and drain the region.
After a median follow-up of seven years, the phase 3 randomized trial found disease-free survival was similar between lobectomies and sublobar resections. Five-year disease-free survival and five-year overall survival were similar, supporting the less-invasive procedure as the preferred option.
The research follows a study by Japanese researchers published last year in The Lancet that compared lobectomy to segmentectomy (but not wedge resection). That study revealed patients who received segmentectomies fared better in terms of overall survival, but not for local recurrence. Saving lung tissue seemed to help with survival from other diseases and secondary cancers.
"Overall survival in this most recent trial was around 80% in both arms," said Donington, adding that more therapies are needed for lung cancer. "These are the earliest-stage patients and our smallest tumors. We've done all currently recommended therapy and yet overall survival is still only 80%, when it's well above 90% for similar-stage breast cancer or prostate cancer."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.