Advancing Surgical Oncology: Short-Term Outcome of Laser-Assisted Pulmonary Metastasectomy: A Case Series

Abstract

The new surgical method of laser-assisted pulmonary metastasectomy enables surgeons to perform exact lung tissue removal while they maintain the ability to operate on multiple metastatic tumors. This study describes our experience and short-term outcomes of laser-assisted pulmonary metastasectomy.

We present two patients who underwent laser-assisted pulmonary metastasectomy for pulmonary metastases. The first patient was a 19-year-old woman with a history of osteosarcoma, in whom asymptomatic pulmonary metastases were detected during routine surveillance. The second patient was a 50-year-old woman with a history of right-sided bronchoalveolar carcinoma who presented with chronic cough, while imaging tests showed suspected metastatic lesions in her left lung. The two patients received laser-assisted pulmonary metastasectomy which involved the removal of one to three metastatic nodules. Both patients had mild hemoptysis as their only postoperative symptom while they experienced no other major health issues. Short-term outcomes were favorable, with operative times ranging from 1–2 hours, blood loss of 30–50 mL, chest tube duration of 4-5 days and a length of stay of 4–6 days

This preliminary experience indicates the technical applicability of laser-assisted pulmonary metastasectomy for resecting pulmonary metastases. The initial results showed positive short-term results, but researchers needed to conduct larger prospective studies to determine how effectively and safely the technique performed against standard procedures.