Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35004256›Full record

ArticleTranslational lung cancer research2021

Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery reduces perioperative complications and achieves a similar long-term survival profile as posterolateral thoracotomy in clinical N2 stage non-small cell lung cancer patients: a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.

Jia Huang, Yu Tian, Chongwu Li, Yaofeng Shen, Hecheng Li, Fanzhen Lv, Hao Lin, Peiji Lu, Jules Lin, Christopher Lau and 3 more

Open access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Translational lung cancer research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
3.2field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Pooled it
  5. Current state of evidence for RATS lobectomy for NSCLC.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2026
    Review
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  15. Chest wall resections for sulcus superior tumors.Journal of thoracic disease · 2024
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.

Jia Huang *Shanghai Lung Cancer Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Yu Tian *Shanghai Lung Cancer Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Chongwu Li *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Yaofeng Shen *Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Hecheng LiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Fanzhen LvDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Huadong Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Hao LinShanghai Lung Cancer Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Peiji LuShanghai Lung Cancer Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Jules LinDepartment of Surgery, Section of Thoracic Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Christopher LauDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Ricardo Mingarini TerraThoracic Surgery Division, Heart Institute (InCor) do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Long JiangShanghai Lung Cancer Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Qingquan LuoShanghai Lung Cancer Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Shanghai Chest Hospital · CNShanghai Jiao Tong University · CNFudan University · CNHospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo · BRTongji University · CNUniversity of Michigan–Ann Arbor · USWeill Cornell Medicine · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOur previous study demonstrated the safety and short-term efficacy of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) in clinical N2 (c-N2) stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. From this, the present study was devised, in which the follow-up time and sample size were both extended to explore the long-term efficacy and potential benefit in survival of RATS compared with lobectomy in c-N2 stage NSCLC patients.

methodsPatients with c-N2 NSCLS were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to accept operation through thoracotomy or RATS. The da Vinci Surgical System (Si/Xi) was applied in the RATS group, while conventional lobectomy with a rib-spreading incision was applied in the posterolateral thoracotomy group. Primary endpoint was defined as disease free survival and overall survival (OS) of all recruited patients.

resultsCompared with posterolateral thoracotomy group (N=72), the RATS group (N=76) had a reduced blood loss (P<0.001), decreased drainage duration (P=0.002), and decreased postoperative pain visual analog score (all P<0.001), but increased overall cost (P<0.001). Meanwhile, no difference in the other postoperative complications (such as air leakage, subcutaneous emphysema, atrial fibrillation etc.) was found between the RATS group and the posterolateral thoracotomy group (all P>0.05). Regarding long-term outcome, no difference in disease-free survival (DFS; P=0.925) or OS (P=0.853) was observed between the RATS group and posterolateral thoracotomy group. Subgroup analyses and multivariable Cox regression analyses also found no difference in DFS or OS between the RATS group and posterolateral thoracotomy groups.

conclusionsRATS reduced intraoperative bleeding, drainage duration, postoperative pain, and achieved similar long-term survival outcomes compared with posterolateral thoracotomy in c-N2 stage NSCLC patients.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-INR-17012777.

Indexed as

lymph node metastasisnon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)postoperative complicationsRobotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS)thoracotomy

Identifiers

PMID35004256
PMCPMC8674609
OpenAlexW3215461608

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.