Cost and effectiveness of lung lobectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer.

Background: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) emerged as a minimally invasive surgery for diseases in the field of thoracic surgery. We herein reviewed our experience on thoracoscopic lobectomy for early lung cancer and evaluated Health System use.

Methods: A cost-effectiveness study was performed comparing VATS vs.

Prognostic value of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2994 cases of lung cancer.

Objective: Given the frequent association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer (LC), the objective of this paper is to analyse the prognosis of this comorbidity.

Methods: Multicenter prospective study compiling 2994 consecutive cases of surgically treated LC (1993-1997), the population with non-small cell lung cancer and complete resection was selected for the prognostic study of COPD. COPD is defined when the FEV1/FVC is <0.

[Assessment of mediastinal tumor involvement (T factor) in lung cancer with transesophageal ultrasonography].

Unlabelled: Transesophageal sonography was originally used to assess esophageal-gastric neoplasm. The technique may also be useful in the evaluation of pulmonary neoplasms for possible mediastinal involvement, with regard to both T and N factors.

Objective: To consider the validity of this minimally-invasive technique for assessing possible mediastinal involvement by direct tumoral invasion (T4) and to help obtain the most accurate staging of lung cancer.

Early complications in surgical treatment of lung cancer: a prospective, multicenter study. Grupo Cooperativo de Carcinoma Broncogénico de la Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica.

Background: We prospectively analyzed the postoperative morbidity, mortality rate, and risk factors in 605 patients who underwent thoracotomy for bronchogenic carcinoma.

Methods: Patients were categorized by postsurgical tumor stage: I, 287 patients (47.4%); II, 49 patients (8.