Objective To evaluate the safety and feasibility of remote robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery utilizing 5G technology. Methods Clinical data from five patients who underwent 5G remote robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery at the Thoracic Surgery Center of Gansu Provincial People's Hospital from May to October 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Finally, five patients were included. There were 2 males and 3 females at median age of 50 (42-63) years. All five surgeries (including 1 patient of lobectomy, 3 patients of partial lung resection and 1 patient of mediastinal lesion resection) were successfully completed without conversion to thoracotomy, complications, or mortality. The median intraoperative signal delay across the patients was 39 (37-42) ms. The median psychological load score for the surgeons was 9 (3-13). The median operation time was 100 (80-122) minutes with a median intraoperative blood loss of 100 (30-200) mL. Catheter drainage lasted a median of 4 (3-5) days, and the median drainage volumes on the first, second, and third postoperative day were 200 (100-300) mL, 150 (60-220) mL, and 80 (30-180) mL, respectively. The median postoperative hospital stay was 4 (3-7) days, and the median pain scores on the third postoperative day were 3 (1-4), 3 (0-3), and 1 (0-3), respectively. Conclusion 5G remote robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is safe and effective, with good surgical experience, smooth operation and small intraoperative delay.
Lung cancer is the malignant tumor with the highest incidence and mortality in China and even worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes the vast majority of cases. The current innovation in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment systems is progressively transitioning from traditional pathological classification to molecular characteristic-guided precision medicine. However, the conventional gold standard for molecular detection-tissue biopsy-faces limitations including invasive procedures and non-repeatable sample acquisition. The breakthrough in liquid biopsy technology has provided new clinical pathways, particularly through circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection for molecular residual disease (MRD) monitoring, which has emerged as a research hotspot in the liquid biopsy field. Through continuous optimization, this approach has achieved breakthroughs in high sensitivity and specificity. Its non-invasive nature eliminates the risks associated with tissue puncture, demonstrating significant potential in various clinical applications including early/advanced NSCLC diagnosis, treatment response monitoring, drug resistance evaluation, and prognosis prediction.