J. Bennett1,2, F. Velez-Cubian2, C. Moodie1, J. Garrett1, J. Fontaine1,2, E. Toloza1,2 1Moffitt Cancer Center And Research Institute,Tampa, FL, USA 2University Of South Florida College Of Medicine,Tampa, FL, USA
Introduction: Tumor location can vary within the lung, and the location of a tumor has an impact on the surgical approach used during a minimally invasive thoracic surgery. This study investigated the relationship between the location of lung tumors and post-surgical hospital length stay.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from patients who underwent robotic-assisted pulmonary lobectomy for non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Hospital length of stay was assessed through chart reviews. Location of tumor (distance from the carina) was assessed using a direct measurement tool in a computerized tomography (CT) scan image-viewing program. Student’s t-test, Kruskal-Wallis median test, and Chi-square test were used to compare variables, with significance at p≤0.05. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship of tumor distance from carina, age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and hospital length of stay.
Results: Among 299 patients (mean age, 67.2 ± 0.6 yr; median age, 68.0), there was one patient excluded from the study due to incomplete data. Mean distance from the center of the tumor to the carina was 9.0 ± 0.2 cm. The patient cohort exhibited a gender distribution of 55% female and 45% male, with a mean BMI was 27.6 ± 0.3 kg/m2. Length of stay was found to have a mean of 5.3 ± 0.3 days and median of 4.0 days. Although univariate analysis of the variables demonstrated that gender was a significant indicator of hospital length of stay, multivariable regression analysis, adjusting for variables of age, BMI, and tumor distance discounted the notion that gender was significant in predicting hospital length of stay. Age significantly predicted hospital length of stay, while adjusting for tumor distance, gender, and BMI [F(4, 281) = 2.475, p=.045, R2 = .020]. Tumor distance from the carina was not a significant predictor of hospital length of stay (p= 0.530).
Conclusion: Given these findings, we do not believe that tumor distance from the carina is an effective indicator for hospital length of stay for pateints undergoing robotic-assisted pulmonary lobectomy. Instead, age was the best independent predictor of hospital length of stay.