Consult with your surgeon and your oncologist to determine the treatment combination that’s right for you.
If your doctor decides surgery is an option for you, they’ll help you identify a surgeon who specializes in lung surgery. The surgeon’s goal is to remove the cancer.
Your cancer is localized in the lung and shows no spread or minimal spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Your lungs are strong enough that your breathing will be mostly unaffected if a section of your lung is removed.
Your doctor thinks all the cancer can be removed.
Your general health is good enough to undergo the procedure.2
| Stage | Surgical Treatment Options |
|---|---|
| IA, IB | Surgery sometimes followed by chemotherapy |
| IIA, IIB | Surgery followed by chemotherapy and possibly radiation |
| IIIA | Surgery followed by radiation and may have chemotherapy before or after surgery |
Some healthy tissue around the cancer is also removed — to help ensure there is an adequate margin around the tumor. In a majority of cases, wedge resection is performed as a way of obtaining a surgical biopsy.
During the procedure, a pathologist reviews the specimen to help the surgeon determine if a cancer operation (either a segmentectomy or lobectomy) is necessary.
This treatment option involves the removal of a segment, or sub-unit, of the lung and its draining lymph nodes. It’s more than a wedge, but less than a lobectomy. And it may be a suitable alternative to preserve lung function for patients whose health problems prevent a lobectomy.
This surgery removes the lobe containing the tumor and associated lymph nodes. Later examination of the removed lymph nodes provides insight into long-term survival and the need for additional therapy.
This usually means the tumor is centrally located, right next to the heart, and involves the main blood vessels to the lung.
