Quality of life outcomes after robotic-assisted and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND

Limited research exists comparing the impacts of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) on patients' physical and mental health-related quality of life (QoL).

METHODS

A prospective cohort of stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in the Initiative for Early Lung Cancer Research on Treatment from Mount Sinai Health System had QoL measured before surgery and at 2, 6, and 12 months post-treatment using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 12 (SF-12), with Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS); the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung Cancer Subscale (FACT-LCS); and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4; for depression/anxiety). A locally weighted smoothing curve was fitted to identify the best interval knot for post-treatment QoL trends. A piecewise linear mixed-effects model was developed to estimate differences in baseline, 2-month, and 12-month QoL scores and rates of change, adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, smoking status, pack-years, nodule size/consistency, comorbidities, and surgical extent.

RESULTS

The study cohort comprised 698 patients, including 458 (65.6%) who underwent VATS and 240 (34.4%) who underwent RATS. The RATS group exhibited a more significant initial decline in physical health at 2 months post-surgery but showed significant recovery by 12 months, achieving similar or slightly higher physical scores compared to baseline. No significant differences in mental health scores over time were seen between the groups. Both groups displayed consistent anxiety and depression scores, with significant improvements in anxiety symptoms at the 2-month mark. The RATS group had fewer postoperative complications and conversion to open thoracotomy.

CONCLUSIONS

RATS and VATS offer similar long-term QoL outcomes for early-stage NSCLC patients, though RATS patients may experience a sharper initial decline in physical health.