Lung cancer, a highly prevalent and deadly malignancy globally, poses a significant disease burden in China and is the leading cause of cancer death. Despite rapid advances in medicine, its incidence and mortality rates remain stubbornly high, making it a major challenge in public health. Against the backdrop of rapid progress in precision medicine, the paradigm of lung cancer treatment is shifting from single traditional therapy to multi-dimensional integration. This article comprehensively reviews the innovations and challenges in lung cancer surgery in 2024, aiming to explore the future development of surgical treatment with colleagues and to improve patients' quality of life and achieve the goal of "cure".
.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery*

In recent years, the widespread application of chest computed tomography (CT) screening has led to a significant increase in the detection rate of pulmonary nodules. As a critical diagnostic tool for early-stage lung cancer, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has emerged as the preferred therapeutic approach for pulmonary nodules. Clinical evidence demonstrates that precise preoperative localization significantly enhances surgical success rates (reducing conversion to thoracotomy), minimizes complications, and shortens operation time. This comprehensive review systematically evaluates six cutting-edge localization techniques: percutaneous puncture-assisted localization, electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) localization, 3D-printed auxiliary localization, basin-analysis-based localization, robotic navigation system localization, and mixed reality (MR)-guided localization. By critically analyzing their operational principles, efficacy, safety profiles, and clinical applicability, this paper aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for optimizing clinical decision-making in pulmonary nodule management.
.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule/diagnostic imaging* ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted/methods* ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules/diagnostic imaging* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy is the primary surgical treatment for lung cancer. A significant factor affecting postoperative recovery is prolonged air leak (PAL). Despite numerous clinical strategies could prevent and manage postoperative PAL, its incidence remains high. Phrenic nerve cryotherapy (PNC) temporarily inhibits phrenic nerve function, causing diaphragm elevation, which reduces thoracic cavity volume, enhances pleural apposition, and mitigates air leakage. This study investigates the efficacy of PNC in preventing postoperative PAL during VATS lobectomy. METHODS: A total of 108 eligible lung cancer patients who underwent surgery at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, from June 2023 to January 2025, were enrolled and randomly assigned to the control group (n=54) and the experimental group (n=54). The patients in both the two groups received VATS lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection, with the experimental group also undergoing PNC during the operation. The baseline characteristics, intraoperative, postoperative indicators and dynamic changes in air leakage between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The baseline clinical characteristics were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). The incidence of pulmonary air leakage at 24 h after surgery (31.5% vs 29.6%) and the incidence of postoperative PAL (20.4% vs 14.8%) showed no significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05). The intraoperative air leak test to 24 hours after surgery revealed that air leakage ceased in 8 cases (32.0%) in the control group, compared to 14 cases (46.7%) in the experimental group. Moreover, during the progression from air leakage at 24 hours post-surgery to postoperative PAL, air leakage ceased in 6 cases (35.3%) in the control group and 8 cases (50.0%) in the experimental group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Compared to the control group, the patients in the experimental group exhibited more pronounced postoperative diaphragmatic elevation that recovered to a slightly higher than preoperative level by 3 mon after surgery. CONCLUSIONS The combination of PNC and active lung repair can serve as an important intervention for patients at high risk of intraoperative air leakage, reducing the occurrence of postoperative PAL.
Humans ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Aged ; Phrenic Nerve/physiopathology* ; Cryotherapy ; Pneumonectomy/adverse effects* ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Adult

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate among all malignant tumors, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 80%-85% of all lung cancers. Lobectomy and lymph node dissection are one of the most important treatment methods, and lymph node dissection, as an important part, has attracted much attention. And its mode and scope of dissection may affect postoperative complications, particularly the occurrence of chronic cough. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of lymph node dissection on postoperative chronic cough in patients with NSCLC undergoing lobectomy, and to provide clinical evidence for optimizing surgical strategy and reducing postoperative chronic cough. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 365 NSCLC patients who underwent lobectomy at the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from December 2020 to December 2023. The relationship between clinical characteristics and postoperative chronic cough was analyzed. The Chinese version of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ-MC) scores were collected from the patients at 2 time points: 1 day before surgery and 8 weeks after surgery. Patients were divided according to lymph node dissection methods, to explore the relationship between lymph node dissection and chronic cough after lobectomy. Additionally, patients were divided into chronic cough and non-chronic cough groups based on the presence of postoperative chronic cough, to investigate whether perioperative data, lymph node dissection methods, and lymph node dissection regions were influencing factors. RESULTS: Patients undergoing lobectomy were more likely to have chronic cough after surgery in the systematic lymph node dissection group than in the lymph node sampling group (P<0.05). LCQ-MC scale evaluation showed that the psychological, physiological, social and total score of the patients in systematic lymph node dissection group were significantly lower than those in lymph node sampling group (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that anesthesia time, operation site, lymph node dissection method, whether to perform upper mediastinal lymph node dissection, number of upper mediastinal lymph node dissection, whether to perform lower mediastinal lymph node dissection and total number of lymph node dissection were independent risk factors for postoperative chronic cough in NSCLC patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS When NSCLC patients underwent lobectomy, lymph node sampling was associated with a significantly lower risk of chronic cough than systematic lymph node dissection. Dissecting lymph nodes in the upper and lower mediastinal regions and the number of lymph nodes dissected may increase the risk of postoperative cough and reduce the quality of life of patients after surgery.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery* ; Male ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Cough/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymph Node Excision/methods* ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Adult ; Lymph Nodes/surgery* ; Pneumonectomy/adverse effects* ; Chronic Cough

In recent years, the incidence of multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC) has been increasing, and it cannot be ignored in clinical practice. The treatment of MPLC is still controversial, but surgical treatment is recognized as the most important treatment. However, current studies have shown that the treatment of MPLC needs to develop multimodal treatment according to different patients. This review summarizes multiple treatment method for MPLC, including surgery, ablation, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy in order to enhance understanding of MPLC treatment.
.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Immunotherapy ; Combined Modality Therapy

BACKGROUND: The proportion of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations is relatively high in China. However, these patients currently lack significant benefits from available neoadjuvant treatment options. This study aims to explore the potential application value of neoadjuvant targeted therapy by evaluating its efficacy and safety in patients with EGFR-mutant resectable lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was used to analyze the treatment effect of patients with stage IIA-IIIB EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection after receiving neoadjuvant targeted therapy from July 2019 to October 2024. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma from three centers were included in this study. All patients successfully underwent surgery and achieved R0 resection of 100.0%. The objective response rate (ORR) was 83.3% (20/24) . The major pathologic response (MPR) rate was 37.5% (9/24), with 2 patients (8.3%) achieving pathological complete response (pCR). During neoadjuvant therapy, 13 out of 24 patients (54.2%) experienced adverse events of grade 1-2, with no occurrences of ≥ grade 3. The most common treatment-related adverse events were rash (n=4, 16.7%), mouth sores (n=2, 8.3%), and diarrhea (n=2, 8.3%). The median follow-up time was 33.0 months, no deaths occurred in all patients, and the overall survival (OS) rate was 100.0%. The 1-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 91.1%, and the 2-year DFS rate remained at 86.2%. CONCLUSIONS The application of neoadjuvant targeted therapy in patients with EGFR-mutant resectable lung adenocarcinoma is safe and feasible, and is expected to become a highly promising neoadjuvant treatment option for the patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma.
Humans ; ErbB Receptors/metabolism* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/surgery* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Mutation ; Adult

BACKGROUND: For lung transplant recipients (LTRs), rehabilitation management after lung transplantation is a crucial link affecting the recovery of pulmonary function. This study systematically summarizes and generalizes the relevant evidences on postoperative pulmonary function rehabilitation management in LTRs, thereby providing a basis for formulating clinical strategies for postoperative pulmonary function rehabilitation management in this patient population. METHODS: Based on the "6S" evidence model, a systematic search was conducted in domestic and international databases and websites, including UpToDate, BMJ Best Practice, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Guidelines International Network (GIN), and China Yimai Tong Guidelines Network, from the establishment of each database to July 2025. Relevant evidences on postoperative pulmonary function rehabilitation management for LTRs were extracted, and two researchers independently conducted quality assessment, evidence extraction, and integration of the included literature. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies were included, consisting of 3 expert consensuses, 4 systematic reviews/evidence summaries, 4 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 5 quasi-experimental studies, and 2 cohort studies. A total of 30 pieces of best evidence were summarized, covering 8 themes: rehabilitation assessment, early intervention, exercise training, nutritional management, medication management, respiratory function training, psychological support, and long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Based on evidence-based principles, this study summarizes the best evidence for postoperative pulmonary function rehabilitation training in LTRs and proposes 30 clinically applicable recommendations, which provides a theoretical basis for the clinical implementation of pulmonary function rehabilitation management. Clinical medical and nursing staff should combine specific clinical scenarios and professional judgments to translate the evidence into practice, and provide scientific rehabilitation management and guidance for LTRs.
Humans ; Lung Transplantation/rehabilitation* ; Lung/surgery* ; Transplant Recipients

Ground-glass nodule (GGN) lung cancer often progresses slowly in clinical and there are few clinical studies on long-term follow-up of patients with operable GGN lung cancer treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). We present a successful case of GGN lung cancer treated with SBRT, but a new GGN was found in the lung adjacent to the SBRT target during follow-up. The nodule progressed rapidly and was confirmed as lung adenocarcinoma by surgical resection. No significant risk factors and related driving genes were found in molecular pathological findings and genetic tests. It deserves further study whether new GGN is related to the SBRT. This case suggests that the follow-up after SBRT should be vigilant against the occurrence of new rapidly progressive lung cancer in the target area and adjacent lung tissue.
.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Radiosurgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/surgery* ; Lung/pathology*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the combination of chemotherapy with staged Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy could enhance health-related quality of life (QoL) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and prolong the time before deterioration of lung cancer symptoms, in comparison to chemotherapy alone. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted from December 14, 2017 to August 28, 2020. A total of 180 patients with stage I B-IIIA NSCLC from 5 hospitals in Shanghai were randomly divided into chemotherapy combined with CHM (chemo+CHM) group (120 cases) or chemotherapy combined with placebo (chemo+placebo) group (60 cases) using stratified blocking randomization. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life-Core 30 Scale (QLQ-C30) was used to evaluate the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed in the safety analysis. RESULTS: Out of the total 180 patients, 173 patients (116 in the chemo+CHM group and 57 in the chemo+placebo group) were included in the PRO analyses. The initial mean QLQ-C30 Global Health Status (GHS)/QoL scores at baseline were 57.16 ± 1.64 and 57.67 ± 2.25 for the two respective groups (P>0.05). Compared with baseline, the chemo+CHM group had an improvement in EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL score at week 18 [least squares mean (LSM) change 17.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.29 to 21.38]. Conversely, the chemo+placebo group had a decrease in the score (LSM change -13.67, 95% CI -22.70 to -4.63). A significant between-group difference in the LSM GHS/QoL score was observed, amounting to 31.63 points (95% CI 25.61 to 37.64, P<0.001). The similar trends were observed in physical functioning, fatigue and appetite loss. At week 18, patients in the chemo+CHM group had a higher proportion of improvement or stabilization in GHS/QoL functional and symptom scores compared to chemo+placebo group (P<0.001). The median time to deterioration was longer in the chemo+CHM group for GHS/QoL score [hazard ratio (HR)=0.33, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.48, P<0.0010], physical functioning (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75, P=0.0005), fatigue (HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.72, P<0.0001) and appetite loss (HR=0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.00, P=0.0215). The incidence of AEs was lower in the chemo+CHM group than in the chemo+placebo group (9.83% vs. 15.79%, P=0.52). CONCLUSION The staged CHM therapy could help improve the PROs of postoperative patients with early-stage NSCLC during adjuvant chemotherapy, which is worthy of further clinical research. (Registry No. NCT03372694).
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Patient Reported Outcome Measures ; Quality of Life ; Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies

Tracheal bronchus (TB) is a congenital developmental anatomical variation in which a bronchus abnormally originates from the trachea. This paper reports a case of tracheal bronchus in the apical segment of the right upper lung, along with incomplete stenosis and occlusion of the apicoanterior and apicoposterior segments of the right upper lung. The patient was a 62-year-old male who had undergone a left upper lobectomy one year prior. A follow-up chest CT scan revealed a solitary nodule in the right lower lobe, highly suggestive of metastatic carcinoma, as well as postoperative changes in the apicoanterior and apicoposterior segments of the left upper lobe. Additionally, an abnormal bronchial opening on the right side was identified approximately 0.8 cm above the tracheal carina. The patient opted for surgical resection and subsequently underwent a "thoracoscopic right lower lobectomy with lymph node dissection and pleural adhesion cauterization" under "total intravenous anesthesia with tracheal intubation combined with a bronchial blocker and paravertebral nerve block anesthesia." Intraoperatively, fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed an abnormal bronchial opening in the main trachea, approximately 0.8 cm above the carina, supplying the apical segment of the right upper lung. Narrowed and occluded openings were observed at approximately 0.2 cm and 0.5 cm distal to the right upper lung apical segment bronchial opening, corresponding to the apicoanterior and apicoposterior segments, respectively. This patient was classified as Conacher Type III TB. Since the surgery involved the ipsilateral lower lobe, the degree of lung inflation did not interfere with the surgical procedure, and no special intervention was required. The patient regained spontaneous breathing immediately after surgery and was successfully discharged five days later. TB is a rare condition with an unclear etiology, and Conacher classification provides valuable guidance for anesthesiologists in airway management. Familiarity with the imaging and fiberoptic bronchoscopic characteristics of TB, comprehensive preoperative assessment, timely intraoperative identification of abnormal airways, and early detection and management are crucial in preventing potential surgical complications in TB patients.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Bronchi/abnormalities* ; Trachea/abnormalities* ; Lung/surgery* ; Bronchoscopy ; Pneumonectomy