Comparison of segmentectomy and lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer with visceral pleural invasion

Background Visceral pleural invasion (VPI) is known to have a significant impact on staging and prognosis in NSCLC and is an important factor in determining surgical strategy. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of surgical procedure (segmentectomy vs lobectomy) with VPI positive patients. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 218 VPI positive NSCLC patients were studied, with the segmentetomy group (n = 42) designated as cohort.1, cases with tumor diameter less than 2 cm (n = 22) designated as cohort.2, and cases with greater than 2 cm (n = 20) designated as cohort.3. Each group and 150 cases of lung lobectomy were analyzed. Cause of death and recurrence mode were investigated. Results There was no difference in OS, DSS and RFS between segmentectomy and lobectomy after propensity matched analysis. There was no difference in OS and RFS in the group of cases < 2 cm. In patients with > 2 cm, there was a trend toward a better prognosis for lobectomy compared to segmentectomy in terms of RFS (p = 0.08). There was no difference in lung cancer deaths, but there was a trend toward more deaths from multiple disease in the lobectomy group (p = 0.07), and pleural dissemination recurrence was significantly more common in the segmentectomy group than in the lobectomy group in the > 2 cm group (p = 0.03). Conclusion In patients with VPI positive lung cancer, segmentectomy may offer a better prognosis for those with tumors measuring < 2 cm. Nevertheless, lobectomy should be considered first for patients with tumors measuring > 2 cm.