Table 1. Patients characteristics.
| Characteristics | Total (n=295) | VATS (n=179) | MT (n=116) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 58.5±19.1 | 57.8±20.9 | 59.5±15.9 | 0.46 |
| Range | 12–94 | 12–94 | 20–94 | |
| Sex, n (%) | ||||
| Male | 216 (73.2) | 131 (73.2) | 85 (73.2) | 0.32 |
| Female | 79 (26.8) | 48 (26.8) | 31 (26.7) | |
| Follow up (months) | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 47.3±20.7 | 43.6±17.7 | 52.9±23.5 | 0.0002 |
| Range | 12–144 | 12–72 | 15–144 | |
| Clinical history of cancer, n (%) | ||||
| Yes | 36 (12.2) | 33 (18.4) | 3 (2.5) | 0.0001 |
| No | 259 (87.8) | 146 (81.6) | 113 (97.5) | |
| Malignancy during follow-up, n (%) | ||||
| No | 285 (97.1) | 173 (96.7) | 114 (96.6) | 0.96 |
| Yes | 10 (2.9) | 6 (3.3) | 4 (3.4) | |
| Malignancy at follow-up | ||||
| Related to pleura (mesothelioma) | 1 | 2 | 0.85 | |
| Unrelated to pleura* | 5 | 2 |
*, unrelated to pleura: lung carcinomas: 5 cases, lymphoma: 1 case, colon cancer: 1 case. VATS, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery; MT, medical thoracoscopy.