Table 1. Summary of trials directly comparing true video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) versus open lobectomy in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.
| Study | Year | Study | n | Staging | Access |
| Sugi et al.(4) | 2000 | RCT | 100 | cIA | 8cm |
| Sugiura et al.(5) | 1999 | OC | 44 | cIA (36), cIB (8) | 6cm |
| Inada et al.(6) | 2000 | OC | 54 | cIA+B | 7cm |
| Yim et al.(7) | 2000 | OC | 36 | cIA+B | NR |
| Koizumi et al.(8) | 2002 | OC | 87 | cIA+B | 10cm |
| Muraoka et al.(9) | 2006 | OC | 85 | cIA | 8cm |
| Sakuraba et al.(10) | 2007 | OC | 140 | cIA | 5cm |
| Petersen et al.(11) | 2007 | OC | 100 | pI (40), pII (24) | 5cm |
| Whitson et al.(12) | 2007 | OC | 147 | cIA+B | 6cm |
| Park et al.(13) | 2007 | OC | 244 | cIA+B | 4cm |
RCT, randomized controlled trial; OC, observational cohort; NR, not reported.