Surgery today
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Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy is performed widely for patients with clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) because of its superior short-term outcomes to those of thoracotomy lobectomy. However, the long-term outcomes of VATS lobectomy vs. thoracotomy lobectomy remain controversial. ⋯ These findings suggest that VATS may have better long-term as well as short-term outcomes than thoracotomy for patients with early-stage NSCLC.