Optimal Radiation Dose for Stage III Lung Cancer-Should "Definitive" Radiation Doses Be Used in the Preoperative Setting?

Introduction: There are currently two recommended radiation strategies for clinical stage III NSCLC: a lower "preoperative" (45-54 Gy) and a higher "definitive/nonsurgical" (60-70 Gy) dose. We sought to determine if definitive radiation doses should be used in the preoperative setting given that many clinical stage III patients planned for surgery are ultimately managed with chemoradiation alone.

Methods: Using the National Cancer Database data from 2006 to 2016, we performed a comparative effectiveness analysis of stage III N2 patients who received chemoradiotherapy.

Learning Curve of Robotic Lobectomy for Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by a Thoracic Surgeon Adept in Open Lobectomy.

Objective: The aim of the study was to characterize the clinical outcomes and learning curve during the adoption of a robotic platform for lobectomy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer by a thoracic surgeon experienced in open thoracotomy.

Methods: Retrospective review of 157 consecutive patients (57 open thoracotomies, 100 robotic lobectomies) treated with lobectomy for clinical stage I or II non-small cell lung cancer between 2007 and 2014. Clinical outcomes were compared between the open thoracotomy group and five consecutive groups of 20 robotic lobectomies.

Robotic Transthoracic Primary Repair of a Diaphragmatic Hernia and Reduction of an Intrathoracic Liver.

This case involves a 70-year-old woman who presented after a low-speed motor vehicle collision with a traumatic right hemidiaphragm rupture and herniation of the liver into the right chest. She was brought to the operating room for a robotic-assisted minimally invasive transthoracic repair of this hernia with diaphragm plication. The case and video described in this report highlight the utility of the robotic platform in performing a transthoracic diaphragm repair and plication after a right-sided traumatic diaphragm rupture in a patient without concomitant abdominal injuries.