Robotic and Thoracoscopic Surgery for Thoracic Oncology

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Research of Cancer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 584

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Thoracic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Interests: mediastinal surgery; minimally invasive techniques; robotics; NSCLC

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues

Minimally invasive approaches, such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS), have significantly transformed the modern surgical management of thoracic malignancies. These techniques offer improved perioperative outcomes and shorter recovery while maintaining oncological efficacy. In recent years, their adoption has expanded significantly, particularly for the treatment of early-stage and locally advanced thoracic malignancies, including lung cancer, thymic tumors, and esophageal carcinoma. This Special Issue of Cancers aims to explore and highlight recent advancements and ongoing technical innovations in the field of minimally invasive thoracic oncology. Submissions on RATS, VATS, training models, technological advancements, perioperative management, and comparative outcomes are welcomed. Original research, systematic reviews, and technical reports that contribute to expanding knowledge and guiding clinical practice are particularly encouraged. This issue seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialog and contribute to the evolving standards of care in thoracic surgical oncology.

Prof. Dr. Elisa Meacci
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • robotic-assisted thoracic surgery
  • video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)
  • lung cancer surgery
  • esophageal cancer
  • thymic tumors
  • minimally invasive surgery
  • pleural tumors
  • chest wall tumors
  • mediastinal surgery
  • thoracic oncology

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 1238 KB  
Article
Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma Presenting as Ground-Glass Opacity: A Single-Center Experience
by Monica Casiraghi, Lara Girelli, Attilio Elettore, Luca Bertolaccini, Antonio Mazzella, Claudia Bardoni, Mariano Lombardi, Valeria Midolo, Giuseppe Petralia, Patrick Maisonneuve, Juliana Guarize and Lorenzo Spaggiari
Cancers 2025, 17(18), 3016; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17183016 - 16 Sep 2025
Viewed by 325
Abstract
Objectives: Adenocarcinoma presenting as ground-glass opacities (GGOs) often corresponds to lepidic growth tumor and is associated with less invasive behavior and a good prognosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between radiological and pathological findings of GGO and [...] Read more.
Objectives: Adenocarcinoma presenting as ground-glass opacities (GGOs) often corresponds to lepidic growth tumor and is associated with less invasive behavior and a good prognosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between radiological and pathological findings of GGO and their relationship with lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) and incidence of relapses to better define their surgical management. Methods: One hundred seventy-two patients underwent lung resection for adenocarcinoma presenting as pure GGO or partial solid GGO at CT scan. Based on consolidation-to-tumor ratio (CTR) at CT scan, patients were categorized into two groups: pure GGO (CTR 0) and partial solid GGO (CTR ≤ 0.5, 0.5 < CTR ≤ 0.75, and 0.75 < CTR ≤ 1.0). Histological analysis confirmed diagnosis, invasiveness, and grading. Results: Comparing the group with pure GGO (n = 90; 52.3%) and the groups with partial solid GGO (n = 82; 47.7%), invasive adenocarcinoma was significantly more frequent in the last one (p = 0.0006). In the partial solid GGO group, the majority of tumors were G2, and the percentage of G3 tumors increased with the CTR increasing (p < 0.0001). Twenty-one (12.2%) patients experienced disease recurrence: 16 (9.3%) were invasive adenocarcinoma (IA), and 5 (2.9%) were minimally invasive adenocarcinomas (MIA); radiologically, 13 (7.5%) were pure GGO, and 8 (4.6%) had a solid component. At multivariate analysis, relapse was associated with age > 60 (p = 0.037), clinical stage ≥ cIB (p = 0.002), and sublobar resection (p = 0.005). Conclusions: Pure GGO was associated with minor invasiveness, with prognosis dependent on age, clinical stage, and type of surgery (sublobar vs. lobar resection). Sublobar resections had a higher recurrence risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotic and Thoracoscopic Surgery for Thoracic Oncology)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop