Preserving NLST mortality benefits and acceptable morbidity for lung cancer surgery in a community hospital.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to demonstrate whether academic thoracic surgeons could achieve morbidity and mortality rates in community hospitals equivalent to those seen in National Lung Screening Trial (NLST).

Methods: This was a retrospective review of community hospital lung cancer procedures for clinical Stage I-III non-small-cell lung cancers from 2007 through 2014. Variables include age, comorbidities, computed tomography (CT) characterization, and operative techniques.