Background: Although lobectomy has long been considered the standard procedure for Stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the selection of sublobectomy for Stage I NSCLC remains controversial. Amidst growing enthusiasm for minimally invasive surgery, the comparison of clinical outcomes after thoracoscopic sublobectomy versus thoracoscopic lobectomy may be of immense value.
Objective: The present study aimed to compare the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes of patients who underwent thoracoscopic sublobectomy with those who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy for Stage I NSCLC.
Methods: An electronic search was conducted using five online databases from their dates of inception to February 2014. Hazard ratio (HR) was used in this meta-analysis, calculated from the published survival data.
Results: Eight studies met the selection criteria, including a total of 1613 patients (463 patients underwent thoracoscopic sublobectomy, and 1150 patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy). From the available data, compared with thoracoscopic sublobectomy, there was a significant benefit of thoracoscopic lobectomy on OS (HR: 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-1.90; P = 0.007). However, in subgroup analysis of thoracoscopic segmentectomy and thoracoscopic lobectomy, there was no significant difference in OS (HR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.76-1.39; P = 0.85) or DFS (HR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.67-2.10; P = 0.56) between the two groups. In addition, compared with thoracoscopic wedge resection, there was a significant benefit of thoracoscopic lobectomy on OS (HR: 4.19; 95% CI: 2.19-8.03, P < 0.0001).
Conclusion: For Stage I patients, thoracoscopic segmentectomy leads to survival rates comparable to thoracoscopic lobectomy. However, the overall several of thoracoscopic lobectomy is superior to that of wedge resection.