STUDY ON ROBOTIC VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACIC LOBECTOMY FOR LARGE TUMOR LUNG CANCER

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of robotic video-assisted thoracic lobectomy (r-VATS) in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Subjects and methods: r-VATS lobectomy was performed in 79 patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated at Cho Ray Hospital from July 2018 to June 2022. We divided 79 patients into two groups: Group 1 consists of 50 patients with tumors < 5 cm in diameter; group 2 consists of 29 patients with tumors ≥ 5 cm in diameter (cT3 and cT4). Results: The mean operative time of the tumor ≥ 5 cm group was longer than that of the other group (273.7 minutes vs. 255.5 minutes); however, the difference was not statistically significant. The rate of conversion to open surgery in group 2 was significantly higher than in group 1 (17.2% vs. 4.0%, p = 0.046). There was no statistically significant difference in post-operative complications in the two groups. There was no significant difference in the survival rate in the two groups (p = 0.272). Conclusion: r-VATS is effective in lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer  ≥ 5 cm in size (cT3 and cT4). With tumor size ≥ 5 cm, the surgical time, the rate of postoperative complications, and the post-operative recurrence rate did not increase; however, the conversion rate to open surgery increased.