Treatment for these patients consist of a combination of several techniques that are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Each of them will be more effective than the other depending on the type of cancer and the stage where they are. In fact, treatment depends on four factors: the type and extent of spread of the tumor, the patient’s health status and functional status of the various body systems (heart, liver, kidney, neurological, etc.)..

Lung cancer surgery is the treatment modality most likely to be curative, therefore, is resorted to if all of the cancer can not be removed and respiratory status of the patient to tolerate the removal of the portion of lung to be removed.

Small cell lung cancers are very rarely operate, since it is almost always diagnosed extensive stage when only limited is operable. Approximately half of non-small lung cancers can be removed due to its extension. It is therefore essential that there are no lymph metastasis and central area of the chest (mediastinum) are free of tumor and the tumor has not invaded ineradicable structures as the trachea, the aorta or the pleura.

You can remove only a small portion of the lung, if the tumor is very localized, to be called wedge resection or segmentectomy.

If you removed a lobe of the lung is called lobectomy.

If you remove the entire lung, it is called pneumonectomy.

The patient will be admitted after the operation for one or two weeks. Some will need physical therapy to regain normal lung capacity soon.

After this period back home with some limitations. Among the possible complications of the surgery are bleeding, wound infection and pneumonia.