Treatment options for pulmonary multifocal ground glass opacity type adenocarcinoma: Surgery combine thermal ablation?

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively analyze the clinical results of the treatment of pulmonary multifocal adenocarcinoma presenting as ground glass opacity (GGO) by surgery and thermal ablation. METHODS: 87 GGO-type pulmonary adenocarcinomas of 48 patients (14 males and 34 females; mean age: 59.7 years old ±9.9, range: 33–79 years old) had been treated from March 2015 to March 2019. Treatment means included 43 wedge resections, 7 segmentectomy, 17 lobectomies, and 20 thermal ablations. The indication selected for treatment means, safety, and local tumor progression rate were evaluated. RESULTS: No operation-related death occurred in all patients. 42 times of surgery were performed and 67 carcinomas were resected in 42 patients. 23 times of single-port Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), 8 times of two-port VATS and 11 times of three-port VATS were performed in total. There were 2 cases of air leak (exceeding 1 week), 1 case of chylothorax and 1 case of massive pleural effusion. Time duration of surgery was between 60 and 300mins (mean: 167mins). Intra-operative blood loss was between 5 and 300 ​mL (mean: 44 ​mL). Time of chest drainage was between 2 and 23d (mean 4.9d). Chest drainage volume was between 14 and 4633 ​mL (mean: 872 ​mL). Post-operation LOS (length of stay) was between 3 and 25d (mean: 6.2d). 15 times of thermal ablation were performed (1 case of air leak) and 20 carcinomas were ablated in 14 patients. The ablation time was between 30 and 120min (mean: 43min); post-operation LOS was between 1 and 10d (mean: 3.5d). During the mean follow-up period (16 months ​± ​13) (range: 5–60 months), no local tumor progression occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery and thermal ablation are safe and effective options for the treatment of pulmonary multifocal GGO-type adenocarcinoma.