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.
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Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule/diagnostic imaging* ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted/methods* ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules/diagnostic imaging* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

With the popularization of chest computed tomography examination in physical examination, the detection rate of multiple pulmonary nodules has significantly increased. However, there are no unified guidelines or consensus for the diagnosis and treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules, and the clinical diagnosis and treatment of such patients are often inadequate or excessive. Therefore, it is of great clinical significance to attach importance to the moderate diagnosis and treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules and formulate unified clinical practice standards for the prevention of lung cancer and the diagnosis and treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules.
Humans ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules/therapy* ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*

Objective: To investigate the detection and diagnostic efficacy of chest radiographs for ≤30 mm pulmonary nodules and the factors affecting them, and to compare the level of consistency among readers. Methods: A total of 43 patients with asymptomatic pulmonary nodules who consulted in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2012 to 2014 and had chest CT and X-ray chest radiographs during the same period were retrospectively selected, and one nodule ≤30 mm was visible on chest CT images in the whole group (total 43 nodules in the whole group). One senior radiologist with more than 20 years of experience in imaging diagnosis reviewed CT images and recording the size, morphology, location, and density of nodules was selected retrospectively. Six radiologists with different levels of experience (2 residents, 2 attending physicians and 2 associate chief physicians independently reviewed the chest images and recorded the time of review, nodule detection, and diagnostic opinion. The CT imaging characteristics of detected and undetected nodules on X images were compared, and the factors affecting the detection of nodules on X-ray images were analyzed. Detection sensitivity and diagnosis accuracy rate of 6 radiologists were calculated, and the level of consistency among them was compared to analyze the influence of radiologists' seniority and reading time on the diagnosis results. Results: The number of nodules detected by all 6 radiologists was 17, with a sensitivity of detection of 39.5%(17/43). The number of nodules detected by ≥5, ≥4, ≥3, ≥2, and ≥1 physicians was 20, 21, 23, 25, and 28 nodules, respectively, with detection sensitivities of 46.5%, 48.8%, 53.5%, 58.1%, and 65.1%, respectively. Reasons for false-negative result of detection on X-ray images included the size, location, density, and morphology of the nodule. The sensitivity of detecting ≤30 mm, ≤20 mm, ≤15 mm, and ≤10 mm nodules was 46.5%-58.1%, 45.9%-54.1%, 36.0%-44.0%, and 36.4% for the 6 radiologists, respectively; the diagnosis accuracy rate was 19.0%-85.0%, 16.7%-6.5%, 18.2%-80.0%, and 0%-75.0%, respectively. The consistency of nodule detection among 6 doctors was good (Kappa value: 0.629-0.907) and the consistency of diagnostic results among them was moderate or poor (Kappa value: 0.350-0.653). The higher the radiologist's seniority, the shorter the time required to read the images. The reading time and the seniority of the radiologists had no significant influence on the detection and diagnosis results (P>0.05). Conclusions: The ability of radiographs to detect lung nodules ≤30 mm is limited, and the ability to determine the nature of the nodules is not sufficient, and the increase in reading time and seniority of the radiologists will not improve the diagnostic accuracy. X-ray film exam alone is not suitable for lung cancer diagnosis.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule/diagnostic imaging* ; Radiography ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules/diagnostic imaging* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Lung Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods*

In recent years, the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a huge impact on the global medical, political and economic fields. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic, our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 has grown exponentially. Recently, the COVID-19 epidemic has changed rapidly in China, and there has been controversy over how to carry out surgical operations for patients with lung neoplastic lesions. Some studies have shown that lung cancer patients undergoing surgery are more likely to experience respiratory failure and perioperative death after contracting COVID-19 than the general population, however, delays in cancer treatment are also associated with increased mortality among these patients. In particular, the novel coronavirus Omikron variant has a higher transmissibility and may escape the immunity obtained through the previous novel coronavirus infection and vaccination. In order to minimize the risk of novel coronavirus infection in surgical patients, it is necessary to develop new treatment guidelines, expert consensus and preventive measures. However, the current rapid change of the epidemic situation has led to insufficient time and evidence to develop guidelines and consensus. Therefore, thoracic surgeons need to evaluate specific patient populations at higher risk of severe complications before surgery and weigh the benefit of surgical treatment against the risk of novel coronavirus infection. We try to give some recommendations on lung surgery during the current domestic epidemic situation based on the guidelines and consensus of oncology and thoracic surgery organizations in different regions on lung surgery.
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Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/complications* ; COVID-19 ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; Lung

Humans ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule/surgery* ; Bronchoscopy

BACKGROUND: Since the popularization of computed tomography (CT) technology, the detection rate of pulmonary ground glass nodules (GGNs) with imaging follow-up as the main management method has increased significantly. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively analyze the changes of pulmonary GGNs during the follow-up process with three-dimensional reconstruction technology, explore the natural progression of pulmonary GGNs, and provide effective basis for clinical guidance for patients to conduct reasonable management of nodules. METHODS: A total of 115 cases of pulmonary GGNs with regular follow-up in the Combined Outpatient Department of Zhoushan Hospital from March 2015 to November 2022 were enrolled. Quantitative imaging features of nodules were extracted by semi-automatic segmentation of 3D Slicer software to evaluate the growth of nodules and clinical intervention during follow-up. RESULTS: The average baseline age of the patients was (56.9±10.1) yr. The mean follow-up time was (48.8±18.9) months. The two-dimensional diameter of baseline CT scan was (7.9±2.9) mm, and the maximum three-dimensional diameter was (10.1±3.4) mm. The two-dimensional diameter of the last CT scan was (9.9±4.7) mm, and the maximum three-dimensional diameter was (11.4±5.1) mm. A total of 27 cases (23.5%) showed an increase during follow-up, with a median volume doubling time of 822 days and a median mass doubling time of 1,007 days. 32 cases were surgically resected, including 6 cases of invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC), 16 cases of minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), 8 cases of adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and 2 cases of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH). Five nodules underwent surgical intervention due to the progression of two-dimensional diameter, which was pathologically confirmed as pre-invasive lesions, but their three-dimensional maximum diameter showed no significant change. Nodular morphology, lobulated sign, spiculated sign and vacuole signs all promoted the growth of nodules in univariate analysis. There were significant differences in age, baseline diameter, mean CT value, median CT value, 10% and 90% percentile CT number between the growth group and the stable group (P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age and average CT value were risk factors for nodule growth (P<0.05). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis results indicated that the age ≥63 years old, the baseline three-dimensional maximum diameter ≥9.2 mm, and the average CT value ≥-507.8 HU were more likely to accelerate the growth of GGNs. The maximum three-dimensional diameter ≥14.4 mm and the average CT value ≥-495.7 HU may be a higher malignant probability. CONCLUSIONS GGNs show an inert growth process, and the use of three-dimensional measurements during follow-up is of greater significance. For persistent glass grinding nodules ≥63 years old, the baseline three-dimensional maximum diameter ≥9.2 mm, and the average CT value ≥-507.8 HU are more likely to increase. However, most nodules still have good prognosis after progression, and long-term follow-up is safe.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Retrospective Studies ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules/pathology* ; Adenocarcinoma/pathology*

Lung cancer is the highest cancer-related mortality rate in the world, and is one of the most common malignancies. The standard treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is radical lobectomy, while recent studies have found that sub-lobectomy of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm) is not inferior to lobectomy and even improve the prognosis of the patients. These important findings will effectively and positively promote the formation of consensus and principles of wedge resection of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm) in the field of thoracic surgery. The purpose of this study is to present a national expert consensus on wedge resection of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm) in the field of thoracic surgery. The experts from Editorial Committee of Consensus on Wedge Resection of Lung Nodules (≤2 cm) (2023 Edition) jointly participated in the revision work. According to the clinical progress about the wedge resection of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm) at home and abroad during recent years, experts jointly wrote Wedge Resection of Pulmonary Nodules (≤2 cm): a Consensus Statement by Specialists of Thoracic Surgery (2023 Edition), in combination with the homogeneous treatment principles of wedge resection in the field of thoracic surgery in China. This consensus was summarized from the following aspects: (1) Indications of wedge resection of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm); (2) Resection range of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm) required for wedge resection; (3) Excisable pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm) for wedge resection. This consensus finally put forward 8 recommended opinions, and sorted out 5 opinions which were still controversial and needed more evidence. The integrated opinions were generated through the discussion held among the experts of thoracic surgery from all over the country, making wedge resection of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm) more appropriate for China and more standardized and homogeneous for clinical practice. In the future, more relevant researches should be accumulated based on the characteristics of lung cancer and its diagnosis and treatment in China, optimizing the treatment of pulmonary nodules (≤2 cm).
Humans ; Thoracic Surgery ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Thoracic Surgical Procedures ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. The accuracy of intraoperative frozen section (FS) in the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration cannot fully meet the clinical needs. The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of improving the diagnostic efficiency of FS in lung adenocarcinoma by using the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer. METHODS: Patients with pulmonary nodules who underwent surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2021 to December 2022 were included in the study. The multispectral information of pulmonary nodule tissues and surrounding normal tissues were collected. A neural network model was established and the accuracy of the neural network diagnostic model was verified clinically. RESULTS: A total of 223 samples were collected in this study, 156 samples of primary lung adenocarcinoma were finally included, and a total of 1,560 sets of multispectral data were collected. The area under the curve (AUC) of spectral diagnosis in the test set (10% of the first 116 cases) of the neural network model was 0.955 (95%CI: 0.909-1.000, P<0.05), and the diagnostic accuracy was 95.69%. In the clinical validation group (the last 40 cases), the accuracy of spectral diagnosis and FS diagnosis were both 67.50% (27/40), and the AUC of the combination of the two was 0.949 (95%CI: 0.878-1.000, P<0.05), and the accuracy was 95.00% (38/40). CONCLUSIONS The accuracy of the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer in the diagnosis of lung invasive adenocarcinoma and non-invasive adenocarcinoma is equivalent to that of FS. The application of the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer in the diagnosis of FS can improve the diagnostic accuracy and reduce the complexity of intraoperative lung cancer surgery plan.
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Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/surgery* ; Adenocarcinoma/surgery* ; Hospitals ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules

BACKGROUND: Pre-operative accuracy of subcentimeter ground glass nodules (SGGNs) is a difficult problem in clinical practice, but there are few clinical studies on the benign and malignant prediction model of SGGNs. The aim of this study was to help identify benign and malignant lesions of SGGNs based on the imaging features of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and the general clinical data of patients, and to build a risk prediction model. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 483 patients with SGGNs who underwent surgical resection and were confirmed by histology from the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from August 2020 to December 2021. The patients were divided into the training set (n=338) and the validation set (n=145) according to 7:3 random assignment. According to the postoperative histology, they were divided into adenocarcinoma group and benign lesion group. The independent risk factors and models were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to evaluate the model differentiation, and the calibration curve was used to evaluate the model consistency. The clinical application value of the decision curve analysis (DCA) evaluation model was drawn, and the validation set data was substituted for external verification. RESULTS: Multivariate Logistic analysis screened out patients' age, vascular sign, lobular sign, nodule volume and mean-CT value as independent risk factors for SGGNs. Based on the results of multivariate analysis, Nomogram prediction model was constructed, and the area under ROC curve was 0.836 (95%CI: 0.794-0.879). The critical value corresponding to the maximum approximate entry index was 0.483. The sensitivity was 76.6%, and the specificity was 80.1%. The positive predictive value was 86.5%, and the negative predictive value was 68.7%. The benign and malignant risk of SGGNs predicted by the calibration curve was highly consistent with the actual occurrence risk after sampling 1,000 times using Bootstrap method. DCA showed that patients showed a positive net benefit when the predictive probability of the predicted model probability was 0.2 to 0.9. CONCLUSIONS Based on preoperative medical history and preoperative HRCT examination indicators, the benign and malignant risk prediction model of SGGNs was established to have good predictive efficacy and clinical application value. The visualization of Nomogram can help to screen out high-risk groups of SGGNs, providing support for clinical decision-making.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Adenocarcinoma ; China ; Hospitals ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules

BACKGROUND: Low-density computed tomography (LDCT) improved early lung cancer diagnosis but introduces an excess of false-positive pulmonary nodules data. Hence, accurate diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer remains challenging. The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility of using circulating tumour cells (CTCs) to differentiate malignant from benign pulmonary nodules. METHODS: 122 patients with suspected malignant pulmonary nodules detected on chest CT in preparation for surgery were prospectively recruited. Peripheral blood samples were collected before surgery, and CTCs were identified upon isolation by size of epithelial tumour cells and morphological analysis. Laser capture microdissection, MALBAC amplification, and whole-exome sequencing were performed on 8 samples. The diagnostic efficacy of CTCs counting, and the genomic variation profile of benign and malignant CTCs samples were analysed. RESULTS: Using 2.5 cells/5 mL as the cut-off value, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was of 0.651 (95% confidence interval: 0.538-0.764), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.526 and 0.800, respectively, and positive and negative predictive values of 91.1% and 30.3%, respectively. Distinct sequence variations differences in DNA damage repair-related and driver genes were observed in benign and malignant samples. TP53 mutations were identified in CTCs of four malignant cases; in particular, g.7578115T>C, g.7578645C>T, and g.7579472G>C were exclusively detected in all four malignant samples. CONCLUSIONS CTCs play an ancillary role in the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules. TP53 mutations in CTCs might be used to identify benign and malignant pulmonary nodules.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Exome Sequencing ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules ; Carcinoma ; DNA Repair