Differential efficacy of segmentectomy and wedge resection in sublobar resection compared to lobectomy for solid-dominant stage IA lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Currently, the impact of sublobar resection versus lobectomy on the prognosis of solid-dominant stage IA lung cancer is contradictory in different studies, which requires further exploration. Methods: We analyzed 26 studies, including one randomized controlled trial and retrospective cohort studies. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using fixed-effects or random-effects models based on heterogeneity levels. Results: The analysis included 12667 patients, with 3488 undergoing sublobar resections and 9179 receiving lobectomies. The overall analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) (HR=1.28, 95% CI: 0.98–1.69) between sublobar resection and lobectomy, but lobectomy was associated with better recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR=1.39, 95% CI: 1.10–1.75). Subgroup analyses revealed that, for tumors with a diameter ≤2 cm, sublobar resection versus lobectomy showed no significant difference in OS but sublobar resection had lower RFS. For 2-3 cm tumors, both OS and RFS were significantly lower in the sublobar resection group. When consolidation-to-tumor ratio (CTR) ranged from 0.5 to <1, OS didn’t differ significantly, but RFS was significantly lower in sublobar resection. Lung cancers with CTR=1 showed significantly lower OS and RFS in the sublobar resection group. Segmentectomy provided similar OS and RFS compared to lobectomy, while wedge resection had a detrimental effect on patient prognosis. However, wedge resection may have provided comparable outcomes for patients aged 75 years or older. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that segmentectomy and lobectomy yield similar oncological outcomes. However, compared to lobectomy, wedge resection is associated with a poorer prognosis. Nevertheless, for elderly patients, wedge resection is also a reasonable surgical option.