Comparison of the surgical outcomes of the posterior approach, video-assisted thoracic surgery, and combined approach for thoracic dumbbell tumors based on a new classification: a retrospective study.

The appropriate surgical treatment strategy was based on the regions of tumor invasion. There is no classification to aid the surgeon in selection. A retrospective study of the clinical data of patients who underwent resection of thoracic dumbbell tumors at the Neurosurgery and Thoracic Surgery Department of Hospital between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021 was conducted. Patient data, images, and surgical outcome data were collected. The thoracic spine was divided into areas A, B, and C with respect to the line through the middle of the intervertebral foramen and the line of the costo-transverse joint lateral margin in the horizontal plane. Type I tumors were located in areas A or A and B, type II tumors were located in areas B or B and C, and type III tumors were located in areas A, B, and C. Fifty-five patients with thoracic dumbbell tumors were surgically treated (mean age, 43.1 years; 22 (40%) female). The patients with type I and III tumors underwent the posterior approach, type III tumors had more bleeding during the operation and longer operation times than type I. Among the patients with type II tumors who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery and the posterior approach, the posterior group had more bleeding and a longer operation time than the others. The patients with type III tumors underwent the combined approach and the posterior approach; although there was no clear difference in the bleeding volume or operation time, the combined approach group had a lower incidence of complications. The new classification of different types of thoracic dumbbell tumors can simply and effectively guide the selection of surgery.