A Minimally Invasive Approach to Lobectomy After Induction Therapy Does Not Compromise Survival.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) approach on outcomes in patients who underwent lobectomy after induction therapy.

Methods: Outcomes of patients with T2-T4, N0, M0 and T1-T4, N1-N2, M0 non-small-cell lung cancer who received induction chemotherapy or chemoradiation followed by lobectomy in the National Cancer Data Base (2010-2014) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier, propensity score-matched, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards analyses.

Results: In the National Cancer Data Base, 2887 lobectomy patients met inclusion criteria (VATS 676 [23%]; thoracotomy 2211 [77%]).