Surgical outcomes of minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary mycosis complicated with hematopoietic malignancy

Objective: Patients with hematopoietic malignancies (HM) are often immunocompromised and, therefore, susceptible to developing invasive fungal infections, including pulmonary mycosis. Surgical resection is indicated for localized pulmonary mycosis refractory to antifungal agents. This study investigated the feasibility and outcomes of minimally invasive surgery for pulmonary mycosis patients complicated with HM.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 56 cases of surgically treated pulmonary mycosis among the 3994 lung resections performed in our department between 2011 and 2020, focusing on the 19 cases under treatment for HM.

Results: All patients underwent 3-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, including one patient converted to open surgery. The 30 day mortality rate was zero. The overall survival rate 1 year after surgery was 63.2%. No relapse of mycosis was observed, and the majority of the cause of death was the progression of HM. The rate of major postoperative complications was comparable between the patients with HM (3/19) and without HM (5/37), despite the patients with HM having a higher frequency of immunocompromised status than those without HM. Most patients who underwent surgery before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) had leukocytopenia, while all patients who underwent surgery after HSCT received immunosuppressants. Mucormycosis was observed in 13 out of 19 patients (68%) with HM, and it was significantly associated with preoperative pancytopenia and usage of immunosuppressants.

Conclusion: Minimally invasive surgery was feasible for pulmonary mycosis complicated with HM despite the high frequency of immunosuppression. These findings will deepen our understanding of pulmonary mycosis associated with HM and may improve perioperative patient care.