Objective  To explore the surgical safety of patients with comorbid non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pneumoconiosis.

  Methods  In this study, the clinical data of 165 NSCLC patients treated at West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University from August 2019 to May 2021 were collected. Among them, 21 patients with comorbid pneumoconiosis were included in the pneumoconiosis group, and the remaining 144 patients were included in the general group. Radical resection for lung cancer was performed in both groups. The perioperative clinical data, including preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative indicators, of the two groups were compared and analyzed.

  Results  There was no perioperative death in either group. The proportions of male patients and patients with smoking history in the pneumoconiosis group were significantly higher than those in the general group (P<0.05). The body mass index (BMI), pulmonary ventilation function and diffusion function in the pneumoconiosis group were significantly lower than those in the general group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the median operative time and the median volume of intraoperative blood loss between the pneumoconiosis group and the general group. In the pneumoconiosis group, the proportion of advanced tumors (stage Ⅱ/Ⅲ), incidence of postoperative complications, median duration of postoperative intubation, and postoperative length of hospital stay were higher/longer than those of the normal group (P<0.05). Compared with the general group, the incidences of lymph node calcification, dense pleural adhesion and surgical method alteration (switching from thoracoscopic surgery to open surgery or video-assisted thoracoscopy) were also significantly higher in the pneumoconiosis group (P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that age, smoking history, pneumoconiosis, pulmonary ventilation dysfunction, lymph node calcification, dense pleural adhesion and the volume of intraoperative blood loss were the risk factors for postoperative complications. Further multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that smoking history (OR=1.37, P<0.05), lymph node calcification (OR=2.36, P<0.05) and pulmonary ventilation dysfunction (OR=5.21, P<0.05) were independent risk factors for postoperative complications.

  Conclusion  NSCLC patients with comorbid pneumoconiosis face relatively greater risks during the perioperative period when they undergo radical resection for lung cancer. Therefore, the close attention of surgeons and the nursing staff should be raised accordingly.