Asian Spine J.  2016 Dec;10(6):1047-1057. 10.4184/asj.2016.10.6.1047.

Single Posterior Approach for En-Bloc Resection and Stabilization for Locally Advanced Pancoast Tumors Involving the Spine: Single Centre Experience

• Zairi F
• Sunna T
• Liberman M
• Boubez G
• Wang Z
• Shedid D

• KMID: 2362182
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4184/asj.2016.10.6.1047

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: Monocentric prospective study. PURPOSE: To assess the safety and effectiveness of the posterior approach for resection of advanced Pancoast tumors. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: In patients with advanced Pancoast tumors invading the spine, most surgical teams consider the combined approach to be necessary for "en-bloc" resection to control visceral, vascular, and neurological structures. We report our preliminary experience with a single-stage posterior approach.
METHODS
We included all patients who underwent posterior en-bloc resection of advanced Pancoast tumors invading the spine in our institution between January 2014 and May 2015. All patients had locally advanced tumors without N2 nodes or distant metastases. All patients, except 1, benefited from induction treatment consisting of a combination of concomitant chemotherapy (cisplatin-VP16) and radiation.
RESULTS
Five patients were included in this study. There were 2 men and 3 women with a mean age of 55 years (range, 46-61 years). The tumor involved 2 adjacent levels in 1 patient, 3 levels in 1 patient, and 4 levels in 3 patients. There were no intraoperative complications. The mean operative time was 9 hours (range, 8-12 hours), and the mean estimated blood loss was 3.2 L (range, 1.5-7 L). No patient had a worsened neurological condition at discharge. Four complications occurred in 4 patients. Three complications required reoperation and none was lethal. The mean follow-up was 15.5 months (range, 9-24 months). Four patients harbored microscopically negative margins (R0 resection) and remained disease free. One patient harbored a microscopically positive margin (R1 resection) and exhibited local recurrence at 8 months following radiation treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
The posterior approach was a valuable option that avoided the need for a second-stage operation. Induction chemoradiation is highly suitable for limiting the risk of local recurrence.

Keyword

Pancoast syndrome; Tumor resection; Chemotherapy; Radiation therapy

MeSH Terms

Drug Therapy
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Intraoperative Complications
Male
Neoplasm Metastasis
Operative Time
Pancoast Syndrome*
Prospective Studies
Recurrence
Reoperation
Spine*