Press Release
Sep 09, 2019
Barcelona—Video-assisted thoracic surgery is associated with lower in-hospital complications and shorter length of stay compared with open surgery among British patients who were diagnosed at an early stage of lung cancer, according to research presented today the IASLC 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer, hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique used to diagnose and treat problems in the chest and lungs using small incisions. A small camera transmits images of the inside of the chest onto a video monitor, guiding the surgeon in performing the procedure. Open surgery is achieved through a long cut in the chest and the ribs are spread open with the surgeon operating through direct vision into the chest. A lobectomy for lung cancer can be achieved by either approach which involves removing one lobe of lung from either the right or left side of the chest.
The National Institute of Healthcare Research funded the trial, called VIOLET, because there was limited information comparing a VATS procedure with open surgery for lobectomy among lung cancer patients. Eric Lim, M.D. from Royal Brompton Hospital, London/United Kingdom randomized 503 lung cancer patients at nine surgery centers in the United Kingdom. The average age of the patients was 69 years and 49.5 percent were male and 50.5 percent female.
After randomization, Lim and his researchers found that patients who received VATS had a significant reduction of overall in-hospital complications (32.8 percent) compared to patients who received open surgery (44.3 percent). Additionally, patients randomized to VATS stayed in the hospital one day less than patients who were given open surgery.
“The VIOLET Trial is the largest randomized trial conducted to date to compare clinical efficacy, safety and oncologic outcomes of VATS versus open surgery for lung cancer,” said Lim. “The study achieved its positive results without any compromise to early oncologic outcomes—pathologic complete resection and upstaging of mediastinal lymph nodes.”
The National Institute for Health Research
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research, and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR commissions applied health research to benefit the poorest people in low- and middle-income countries, using Official Development Assistance funding. This work uses data provided by patients and collected by the NHS as part of their care and support and would not have been possible without access to this data. The NIHR recognises and values the role of patient data, securely accessed and stored, both in underpinning and leading to improvements in research and care. www.nihr.ac.uk/patientdata
About the WCLC:
The WCLC is the world’s largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, attracting more than 7,000 researchers, physicians and specialists from more than 100 countries. The goal is to increase awareness, collaboration and understanding of lung cancer, and to help participants implement the latest developments across the globe. The conference will cover a wide range of disciplines and unveil several research studies and clinical trial results. For more information, visit wclc2019.iaslc.org.
About the IASLC:
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 7,500 lung cancer specialists across all disciplines in over 100 countries, forming a global network working together to conquer lung and thoracic cancers worldwide. The association also publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the primary educational and informational publication for topics relevant to the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of all thoracic malignancies. Visit www.iaslc.org for more information.