WCLC 2025 - Posters & ePosters-P1.07.17 A Neglected Dimension in Lung Cancer Surgery: Sleep Disorders Before and After Anatomical Resection

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This prospective observational cohort study, conducted at the University of Milan from January to August 2024, investigates sleep disorders in lung cancer patients undergoing minimally invasive anatomical lung resections. The study enrolled 32 patients (mean age 67 years; 44% female) with lung cancer stages I–IIIa, treated mostly by lobectomy (69%) and segmentectomy (31%) via VATS or RATS.<br /><br />Key baseline findings revealed undiagnosed sleep apnea in nearly 47% of patients, indicated by an Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) ≥5 events/hour. Preoperative sleep disturbances were significantly associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and higher ASA physical status classification. Early postoperative assessment at 45 days showed that 37.5% of patients experienced significant worsening of sleep quality, which persisted at six months, while 62.5% maintained stable sleep profiles.<br /><br />Sleep deterioration correlated strongly with lobectomy, more advanced cancer stages (II–IIIa), smoking history, and cardiovascular comorbidities. There was a non-significant trend suggesting non-adenocarcinoma histology might also be linked to sleep decline. The study highlights that sleep disorders are frequently underdiagnosed before surgery and that deterioration after resection may impact recovery and long-term outcomes.<br /><br />The authors recommend routine preoperative sleep evaluation to identify and manage sleep disturbances. They argue that integrating sleep health assessment into multidisciplinary lung cancer care could improve perioperative management. Additionally, they call for further research to explore whether targeted interventions to improve sleep quality can enhance surgical recovery and prognosis. The study underscores sleep health as a neglected yet critical dimension in thoracic oncology, impacting patient well-being and potentially surgical outcomes.

Asset Subtitle

Riccardo Orlandi

Meta Tag

Speaker Riccardo Orlandi

Topic Early-Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Keywords

sleep disorders

lung cancer

minimally invasive lung resection

sleep apnea

Apnea-Hypopnea Index

lobectomy

segmentectomy

postoperative sleep quality

cardiovascular comorbidities

preoperative sleep evaluation