Contemporary Thoracic Surgery: Technology and Innovation

Dear Colleagues,

The field of thoracic surgery has undergone unprecedented transformation over the past two decades, revolutionizing our approach to treating thoracic malignancies. The evolution from traditional open thoracotomy to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and the integration of robotic-assisted surgical systems have fundamentally changed surgical practice, offering patients improved outcomes through enhanced precision and reduced invasiveness. As surgical technology continues to advance rapidly, thoracic surgeons worldwide are faced with new opportunities and challenges in optimizing patient care through evidence-based surgical decision-making. This dynamic landscape calls for a comprehensive examination of current techniques, comparative effectiveness research, and the exploration of emerging technologies that will define the future of thoracic surgery.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aligns perfectly with the journal’s commitment to advancing surgical science and improving patient outcomes in thoracic oncology. This collection will provide a comprehensive platform for sharing cutting-edge research, innovative techniques, and clinical insights that address the evolving needs of the thoracic surgical community. The multidisciplinary nature of modern thoracic surgery, encompassing technological innovation, surgical technique refinement, and patient-centered care, makes this Special Issue particularly relevant to the journal’s broad readership of surgeons, researchers, and healthcare professionals.

This Special Issue aims to compile the latest advances in contemporary thoracic surgery, with a particular emphasis on technological innovation and surgical excellence. We seek to provide a comprehensive resource that compares robotic surgery, VATS, and open surgical approaches while exploring emerging technologies and their clinical applications. The collection will address critical topics such as surgical training and education, learning curve management, cost-effectiveness analysis, and strategies for the safe and effective implementation of new technologies in clinical practice.

Original research articles and review papers are invited for submission to this Special Issue. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery: techniques, outcomes, and learning curves;
• Advanced video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and uniportal approaches;
• Comparative effectiveness of surgical modalities for thoracic malignancies;
• Innovative approaches to open thoracic surgery and complex reconstructions;
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in thoracic surgery;
• Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols and perioperative optimization;
• Surgical training and simulation in the era of minimally invasive surgery;
• Cost-effectiveness and health economics of contemporary surgical techniques;
• Long-term outcomes and quality of life assessments across surgical modalities;
• Management of complications and conversion strategies;
• Emerging technologies and future directions in thoracic surgery;
• Multidisciplinary approaches and integration with multimodal therapy.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Yoshikane Yamauchi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• thoracic surgery
• robotic surgical procedures
• video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
• thoracic neoplasms
• minimally invasive surgical procedures
• surgical outcomes
• lung cancer surgery
• surgical innovation