PAST Thoracoscopic sublobar resection is emerging as a main treatment option for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Given that the 20-year lung cancer-specific survival after surgical resection for stage I disease approaches 87%,1 postoperative quality of life has become a paramount concern for these patients. Pain is the most prevalent postoperative symptom after lung cancer surgery.2 Although video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) demonstrated reduced postoperative pain compared with thoracotomy,3 many patients still tolerated moderate-to-severe postoperative pain.4 Distinct long-term pain trajectories have been identified in patients undergoing lobectomy and thoracotomy;4 however, whether patients undergoing sublobar resection exhibit different early postoperative pain trajectories remains unknown.