Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-20-2023

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This article is the author’s final published version in JTCVS Open, Volume 15, September 2023, Pages 481-488.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjon.2023.07.007. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

Publication made possible in part by support from the Jefferson Open Access Fund

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Although sublobar resections have gained traction, wedge resections vary widely in quality. We seek to characterize the demographic and facility-level variables associated with high-quality wedge resections.

METHODS: The National Cancer Database was queried from 2010 to 2018. Patients with T1/T2 N0 M0 non-small cell lung cancer 2 cm or less who underwent wedge resection without neoadjuvant therapy were included. A wedge resection with no nodes sampled or with positive margins was categorized as a low-quality wedge. A wedge resection with 4 or more nodes sampled and negative margins was categorized as a high-quality wedge. Facility-specific variables were investigated via quartile analysis based on the overall volume and proportion of high-quality wedge or low-quality wedge resections performed.

RESULTS: A total of 21,742 patients met inclusion criteria, 6390 (29.4%) of whom received a high-quality wedge resection. Factors associated with high-quality wedge resection included treatment at an academic center (3005 [47.0%] vs low-quality wedge 6279 [40.9%]; P < .001). The 30- and 90-day survivals were similar, but patients who received a high-quality wedge resection had improved 5-year survival (4902 [76.7%] vs 10,548 [68.7%]; P < .001). Facilities in the top quartile by volume of high-quality wedge resections performed 69% (4409) of all high-quality wedge resections, and facilities in the top quartile for low-quality wedge resections performed 67.6% (10,378) of all low-quality wedge resections. A total of 113 facilities were in the top quartile by volume for both high-quality wedge and low-quality wedge resections.

CONCLUSIONS: High-quality wedge resections are associated with improved 5-year survival when compared with low-quality wedge resections. By volume, high-quality wedge and low-quality wedge resections cluster to a minority of facilities, many of which overlap. There is discordance between best practice guidelines and current practice patterns that warrants additional study.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Language

English

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