An international and multidisciplinary EORTC survey on resectability of stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: The EORTC-Lung Cancer Group initiated a Delphi consensus process to establish a consensual definition of resectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for the use in clinical trials, including a systematic review, survey, and review of clinical cases. Here, the survey results are presented, aimed to identify areas of controversy.

Methods: A survey was distributed among the members of six international organizations related to lung cancer.

Upstaged from cT1a-c to pT2a lung cancer, related to visceral pleural invasion patients, after segmentectomy: is it an indication to complete resection to lobectomy?

Objectives: Segmentectomy may be indicated for T1a-cN0 non-small-cell lung cancer. However, several patients are upstaged pT2a at final pathological examination due to visceral pleural invasion (VPI). As resection is usually not completed to lobectomy, this may raise issue of potential worse prognosis.

Identification of the intersegmental plane during thoracoscopic segmentectomy: state of the art.

During thoracoscopic segmentectomy, where direct palpation of the tumour is not always possible, achieving adequate margins from the cancer is of crucial importance. It is thus mandatory to accurately identify the intersegmental plane (ISP). Indeed, inadequate determination and division of the ISP can lead to unsatisfactory oncological results.

Cytoreductive Pleurectomy and Intrathoracic Chemohyperthermia for Pleural Relapse of Thymomas.

Several surgical procedures, from debulking to extrapleural pneumonectomy, may be applied for stage IVa Masaoka thymomas, but their efficiency is still controversial. Case studies have favored R resection as the cornerstone of multimodal therapy for locoregional metastatic extension. This report describes a standardized procedure combining a cytoreductive surgical procedure and intrathoracic chemohyperthermia on a 46-year-old patient presenting with B2 thymoma and synchronous unilateral pleural metastasis.