The unified front: a multidisciplinary approach in the Era of uniportal thoracic surgery

The evolution of thoracic surgery from open thoracotomy to uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS) represents a paradigm shift toward minimizing surgical trauma. However, the changing landscape of thoracic oncology—characterized by an increase in subsolid nodules, multifocal ground-glass opacities, and locally advanced disease requiring neoadjuvant therapy—demands more than surgical innovation alone. This review explores the critical intersection of U-VATS with multidisciplinary collaboration. We examine how the integration of medical oncology, interventional pulmonology, and radiology enhances the capabilities of the single-port approach. This review will discuss specific combinatorial techniques, including uniportal lung resection following neoadjuvant treatment, navigation bronchoscopic-guided localization strategies, and combining U-VATS with concomitant transbronchial ablation. Finally, we address the logistical and economic challenges inherent in maintaining such complex collaborative frameworks.