Treatment
Surgery offers the best chance of cure when the lung cancer is localized and all evidence of the cancer can be removed at the time of surgery. (i.e
stages I and II). Sometimes surgery is performed for more advanced stages after treatment with radiation or chemotherapy
The basis behind all different types of lung surgery is that surgery can be beneficial if it is possible to remove all of the tumor with no adverse effects on breathing or nearby structures. For some patients, it is possible and necessary to have 1 lung removed entirely to remove all traces of the cancer. However, it is preferable to take out the smallest amount of lung possible that will still remove all traces of the cancer, including nearby lymph nodes.
- A wedge procedure is similar to a pie wedge. It involves the removal of a small piece of lung and is most often performed for small peripheral tumors or as a biopsy to determine the diagnosis.
- A lobectomy is considered the "gold standard" for treatment containted within an isolated portion of the lung. This involves the removal of 1 lobe(a separate, independent part of the lung) of the lung.
- A pneumonectomy involves the removal of an entire lung and is sometimes required if the cancer is confined t oa single lung but is to large to be confined within a single lobe.
- VATS: (Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery): This is the same as thoracoscopy. It is used to diagnose problems, as well as to remove small parts of the lung for biopsies and for patients with poor lung function, treatment of lung cancer. One major advantage of VATS is that it allows for much smaller incisions than were previously needed for this type of surgery.
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): minimally invasive treatment involving the heating and destroying of cancer cells in a specific area. A probe is inserted into the tumor, usually by CT guidance in a CT scanner. Sedation or general anesthesia is usually required. It is considered for patients who cannot tolerate surgery due to poor lung function, as the recurrence rate after therapy is generally higher than with surgery.
Medical Therapies such as
Radiation or
Chemotherapy are commonly utilized in combination with surgery or when surgery is not an option.
- Surgery is not an option when:
- cancer has spread (metastasized) to other regions of the body. Surgery in the lung will therefore not be effective in eradicating the body of the cancer since cancer will be left behind.
- A more widespread approach, such as the medical therapies outlined above, is needed in this case.
- removing the amount of lung required to remove the tumor will leave the patient too short of breath for a reasonable quality of life.
