No abstract

Lung-reduction surgery can produce increases in the elastic recoil of the lung in patients with diffuse emphysema, leading to short-term improvement in dyspnea and exercise tolerance.

Objectives-Esophagectomy is the standard treatment for T1 esophageal cancer (EC). With an increasing interest in endoscopic therapies particularly for T1 EC, our objectives were to evaluate the long term outcomes following esophagectomy and to examine the pathological features of T1 cancer in detail to determine the suitability for potential endoscopic therapy.Methods-We reviewed the outcomes of esophagectomy in 100 consecutive patients with T1 EC. The primary endpoints studied were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). In addition to detailed pathology review, we evaluated prognostic variables associated with survival.Results-Esophagectomy was performed in 100 patients (79 men, 21 women; median age 68 years) for T1 EC (adenocarcinoma 91, squamous 9; intramucosal (T1a):29, submucosal (T1b):71). The 30 day mortality was 0%. Resection margins were microscopically negative in 99% (99/100) of patients. N1 disease was present in 21 patients (T1a:2/29(7%); T1b:19/71(27%)), associated high-grade dysplasia in 64/100 (64%) and angiolymphatic invasion in 19/100 (19%) of patients. At a median follow-up of 66 months, estimated 5-year OS and 3-year DFS were 62% and 80%, respectively, for all patients (including N1). Nodal status and tumor size were significantly associated with overall survival and disease-free survival, respectively.Conclusions-Esophagectomy can be performed safely in patients with T1 cancer with good long term results. Many patients with T1 EC have several risk factors which may preclude adequate treatment with endoscopic therapy. Further prospective studies are required to evaluate endoscopic therapies. Esophagectomy should continue to remain the standard treatment in patients with T1 EC.

No abstract

Wedge resection, done by open thoracotomy or video-assisted techniques, appears to be a viable "compromise" surgical treatment of stage I (T1 N0 M0) non-small-cell lung cancer for patients with cardiopulmonary physiologic impairment. Because of the increased risk for local recurrence, anatomic lobectomy remains the surgical treatment of choice for patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer who have adequate physiologic reserve.