ISMICS - The Impact Of Prior Covid-19 Infection On Mortality And Morbidity In Patients Undergoing Surgery For Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

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The Impact Of Prior Covid-19 Infection On Mortality And Morbidity In Patients Undergoing Surgery For Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
ENES BAYRAM, Rıza Serdar Evman, El�in Ers�z K�se, Ayşe Ulusoy, Selami Volkan Baysungur.
Sureyyapasa Pulmonary Disease and Thoracic Surgery Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Background: Our study aims to evaluate the postoperative clinical outcomes and survival rates of patients with preoperative COVID-19 infection undergoing Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) surgery, to examine and compare the impact of surgical techniques (VATS and thoracotomy), and to investigate the influence of the disease on surgical outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted between 2020 and 2022 on 54 NSCLC patients. Among these, 27 patients had contracted COVID-19 within 1 year before surgery, while 27 had not. Demographic data, surgical techniques (VATS and thoracotomy), and postoperative outcomes (length of hospital stay, ICU stay, chest drain removal time, and pneumonia incidence) were analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between surgical techniques were also evaluated. Results: Although patients with COVID-19 exhibited longer hospital stays, ICU stays, and chest drain removal times, these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Postoperative pneumonia was observed in 30% of COVID-19 patients and 10% of non-COVID-19 patients (p > 0.05). The 1-year survival rates were 78% in COVID-19 patients and 88% in non-COVID-19 patients, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.15). When comparing surgical techniques, no significant differences in postoperative outcomes were observed between VATS and thoracotomy (p > 0.05); however, VATS demonstrated advantages in terms of faster recovery and reduced hospital burden. Conclusion: Preoperative COVID-19 infection increased the risk of postoperative complications in NSCLC patients but did not significantly affect survival rates. VATS and thoracotomy were found to be safe surgical techniques with comparable outcomes; however, the advantages of VATS were particularly notable under pandemic conditions. Preoperative infection control measures and postoperative management are critical for achieving optimal surgical outcomes in patients who have recovered from COVID-19.

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