Lobe-Specific Analysis of Sublobar Lung Resection for NSCLC Patients with Tumors ≤ 2 cm

SIMPLE SUMMARY: With the increase of the use of sublobar resection, the optimal strategy for early-stage NSCLC patients is essential. Previous studies showed tumors in different lobes are associated with different prognoses after radiotherapy and immunotherapy, inspiring us that each lobes had a different prognosis. Thus, we investigated the best surgical procedure for sublobar resection in patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm based on a lobe-specific analysis using propensity score matching. The results of this study will make it easier for surgeons to screen out patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm for segmentectomy or wedge resection, although this must be validated in larger cohorts. ABSTRACT: (1) Background: Sublobar resection can be used as an alternative surgical strategy for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, the choice between wedge resection and segmentectomy remains contentious. In this study, we investigated the optimal surgical procedure for sublobar resection in patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm with a lobe-specific analysis; (2) Methods: Data for patients with T1N0M0 with a diameter of ≤2 cm who had undergone sublobar resection were retrieved. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce the inherent bias, and the Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank tests were used to assess the differences in survival; (3) Results: A total of 1882 patients were identified after the PSM. Patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm who had undergone segmentectomy showed better survival than those who had undergone wedge resection. However, when NSCLC was ≤1 cm, there was no significant difference in OS between the two groups. This demonstrated an OS advantage of segmentectomy over wedge resection for patients with NSCLC tumors of 1–2 cm (p = 0.024). Further analysis indicated that this survival benefit was only observed in patients with right upper NSCLC of 1–2 cm, but not with NSCLC in the other four lobes; (4) Conclusions: Segmentectomy showed a greater survival benefit than wedge resection only in patients with NSCLC of 1–2 cm, particularly those with primary tumors in the right upper lobe. Therefore, we propose a lobe-specific sublobar resection strategy for early-stage NSCLC patients (tumors of 1–2 cm) who cannot tolerate lobectomy.