S¹ segmentectomy for early stage NSCLC in the apical segment of the right upper lobe

In the last years, the role of segmentectomy for the treatment of patient with early stage lung cancer is gaining more and more importance. Compared to lobectomy, performing a segmentectomy needs more surgical experience and anatomical knowledge, in particular if individual upper and lower lobe segmentectomies are considered. Here, we present a case of a patient with a minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) in the S¹ segment of the right upper lobe treated with an apical (S¹) segmentectomy. A 54-year-old female patient came to our attention with a chest CT-scan finding of an 8.8 mm subsolid nodule in the S¹ segment of the right upper lobe. As we considered the lesion highly suspicious of early stage lung cancer, a surgical excision was proposed. A right S¹ segmentectomy by minimally invasive approach was performed. The post-operative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the 4^th post-operative day. Final histopathological examination revealed a MIA of the lung, staged as pT1miN0M0. In the treatment of patients with early stage lung cancer located in S¹ segment of the right upper lobe, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) S¹ segmentectomy represents a safe and radical therapeutic procedure which allows to spare the remaining segments of the right upper lobe.