Background: VATS is currently the most popular form of access for lung cancer resection in the UK. However, there is limited comparative information from high quality randomised controlled trials and no information on early oncologic outcomes for quality assurance for a minimal access approach. VIOLET is the largest randomised trial conducted to date to compare clinical efficacy, safety and oncologic outcomes of VATS versus open surgery for lung cancer. Method: VIOLET is a parallel group randomised trial conducted across 9 UK thoracic surgery centres. Participants with known or suspected primary lung cancer were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to VATS (one to four ports) or open lobectomy. Randomisation was stratified by surgeon. Patients within clinical stage cT1-3, N0-1 and M0 using TNM 8 with disease suitable for VATS or open surgery were eligible to join the trial. We report on early outcomes in the period from randomisation to hospital discharge after surgery. Result: From Jul 2015 to Feb 2019, 2,109 patients were screened to randomise 503 participants to VATS (n¼247) or open (n¼256) lobectomy. The mean age (SD) was 69 (8.8) years and 249 (49.5%) were male. Baseline clinical T category was cT1 333 (67.3%), cT2 125 (25.2%), cT3 37 (7.5%) with cN0 466 (94%) and cN1 30 (6%). Lobectomy was undertaken in 221 (89.5%) patients randomised to VATS and 232 (90.6%) patients randomised to open surgery. The in-hospital mortality rate was 1.4% (7/502) and the conversion rate from VATS to open was 5.7% (14/246) with the main reasons listed as pleural adhesions (n¼4) and bleeding (n¼4). There were no differences in R0 resection; which was 98.8% ( 218/223) in the VATS group and 97.4% (228/234) in the open group; P¼0.839 or in nodal upstaging from cN0/1 to pN2 disease which was observed in 6.2% (15/244) of the VATS group and 4.8% (12/252) of the open group; P¼0.503. The median (visual analogue) pain score was 4 (interquartile range, IQR 2 to 5) in both groups on day one with 3 (1 to 5) in the VATS group and 4 (2 to 5) in the open group on day two. A significant reduction of overall in-hospital complications was observed in patients receiving VATS at 32.8% (81/247) compared to open 44.3% (113/255) surgery; P¼0.008 without any difference in serious adverse events between the two groups, which was 8.1% (20/247) for VATS and 7.8% (20/255) for open surgery; P¼0.897. Patients randomised to VATS had a shorter median (IQR) length of stay of 4 (3 to 7) versus 5 (3 to 8) days compared to patients randomised to open surgery, P¼0.008. Conclusion:In early stage lung cancer, VATS lobectomy is associated with significantly lower in-hospital complications and shorter length of stay compared to open lobectomy. This was achieved without any compromise to early oncologic outcomes (pathologic complete resection and upstaging of mediastinal lymph nodes) nor any difference in serious adverse events in the early post-operative period.
In patients with non-small-cell lung cancer harboring an epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) active mutation, central nervous system progression after a response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors is frequent. Central nervous system metastasis, especially leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC), is a serious complication and no standard treatment has been established for LMC. Here, we report two cases in which the addition of bevacizumab to erlotinib enhanced the efficacy against LMC; as a result, radiographic abnormalities decreased markedly and symptoms were well controlled. This combination treatment may be useful to treat LMC in patients with EGFR-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.
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