Objectives: To identify adaptations of limited resection for poor-risk patients with primary lung cancer and the efficacy of ensuring an adequate surgical margin.
Methods: A total of 139 poor-risk patients who underwent limited resection for their primary lung cancer in our institution between 2005 and 2020 were included. The efficacy of ensuring a surgical margin was determined by analyzing the rate of recurrence, and the prognosis was analyzed via the Kaplan-Meier method.
Results: Wedge resection was performed for 105 patients, and segmentectomy was performed for 34 patients. Recurrence was observed in 29 (20.8%) patients, while stump recurrence was observed in only 4( 3.8%) patients with wedge resection. The median surgical margin was 15 mm, which was equal to the median tumor size, and all histopathological margins were negative. An analysis of the 68 patients excluding those with multiple lung cancer showed that the pathological stage was not related to the prognosis. Surgical death and severe complications were not observed, and only 3 patients died of lung cancer during the observational period of 3.4 years.
Conclusions: Limited resection improves the patient's prognosis and ensures an adequate surgical margin to control recurrence.