<b>VATS for Lung Metastases.

Video-Assisted Thorascopic Surgery is VATS. It is like laparascopic [or keyhole] surgery, but in the chest.

Current Pubmed/Medline search of medical literature:
VATS and sarcoma treatment search:</b>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=search&db=PubMed&term=VATS%20AND%20sarcoma%20treatment
<b>VATS and lung metastases:</b>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=search&db=PubMed&term=VATS%20AND%20lung%20metastases

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Here are some citations of medical abstracts from the Lung Mets section of the Metastatic Disease page of this website http://www.leiomyosarcoma.org/staging/welcome.htm
The abstracts have been heavily edited. The full abstracts can be found on PubMed.

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Harefuah 2001 Feb;140(2):91-4, 192 
<b>[Video-assisted thoracic surgery--experience with 586 patients]. [Article in Hebrew] </b>
Galili R, Nesher N, Sharony R, et al. Dept. of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Carmel Medical Center and Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa. 
Summary: They concluded that "thoracoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique with very low morbidity and high diagnostic accuracy. Postoperative recovery is brief and uneventful." PMID: 11242935 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11242935&dopt=Abstract

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J Surg Oncol 2001 Jan;76(1):47-52 
<b>Pulmonary metastasectomy: might the type of resection affect survival? </b>
Mineo TC, Ambrogi V, Tonini G, Nofroni I. Thoracic Surgery Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy. mineo@med.uniroma2.it 
They concluded: "The type of resection did not disclose statistically significant differences on survival. Minimal surgery, especially by laser device, is recommended for less morbidity." PMID: 11223824 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11223824&dopt=Abstract

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Surgery 1999 Oct;126(4):636-41; discussion 641-2 
<b>Diagnostic and therapeutic video-assisted thoracic surgery resection of pulmonary metastases. </b>
Lin JC, Wiechmann RJ, Szwerc MF, et al. Allegheny University Hospitals, Allegheny General, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, USA. 
They concluded: "Results with VATS resection of peripheral pulmonary metastases for diagnostic and potentially curative intentions appear comparable with historical results by "open" thoracotomy. "
They added: "Conversion to thoracotomy is indicated when lesions identified preoperatively are not found or when technical problems encountered may compromise surgical margins when resecting lung metastases for potential cure." Publication Types: Clinical trial PMID: 10520909 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10520909&dopt=Abstract

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Nippon Geka Gakkai Zasshi 1998 Dec;99(12):855-60 
<b>[Surgical management of pulmonary metastases].[Article in Japanese] </b>
Hara S, Otsuka H, Hirohata T, et al. First Department of Surgery, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osakasayama, Japan. 
They found that "the size of pulmonary tumors or tumor doubling time has no significant effect on survival, while the number of metastatic foci does." 
They also concluded, "VATS is not be recommended for metastatic cancer surgery, because intraoperative identification of metastatic foci is often difficult". Publication Types: Review PMID: 10063499 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10063499&dopt=Abstract

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compiled December 2001 doctordee

