Propensity-matched Analysis Demonstrates Long-term Risk of Respiratory and Cardiac Mortality After Pneumonectomy Compared With Lobectomy for Lung Cancer

Objective: We sought to quantify and characterize long-term consequences of pneumonectomy, with particular attention to nononcologic mortality. Summary of Background Data: Pneumonectomy is associated with profound changes in cardiopulmonary physiology. Studies of long-term outcomes after pneumonectomy typically report generalized measures, such as disease-free and overall survival. Methods: Patients undergoing lobectomy or pneumonectomy for lung cancer at our institution from 2000 to 2018 were reviewed. Propensity-score matching was performed for 12 clinicopathologic factors. Ninety-day complications and deaths were compared. Five-year cumulative incidence of oncologic and nononcologic mortality were compared using competing risks approaches. Results: From 3339 lobectomy and 355 pneumonectomy patients identified, we derived 318 matched pairs. At 90 days, rates of overall complications were similar (46% for pneumonectomy vs 43% for lobectomy; P = 0.40), but rates of major complications (21% vs 13%; P = 0.005) and deaths (6.9% vs 1.9%; P = 0.002) were higher the pneumonectomy cohort. The cumulative incidence of oncologic mortality was not significantly different between cohorts (P = 0.9584). However, the cumulative incidence of nononcologic mortality was substantially higher in the pneumonectomy cohort for both date of surgery and 1-year landmark analyses (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0002, respectively). Forty-five pneumonectomy patients (18%) died of nononcologic causes 1-5 years after surgery; pneumonia (n = 21) and myocardial infarction (n = 10) were the most common causes. In pneumonectomy patients, preexisting cardiac comorbidity and low diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide were predictive of nononcologic mortality. Conclusions: Compared to lobectomy, excess mortality after pneumonectomy extends beyond 1 year and is driven primarily by nononcologic causes. Pneumonectomy patients require lifelong monitoring and may benefit from expeditious assessment and intervention at the initial signs of illness.