Five surgical procedures for lung cancer

Surgery is the main method for treating lung cancer. For cases of lung cancer in stages I, II and III, surgery can be used for all patients without contraindications to surgery.

The surgical procedures for lung cancer mainly include local resection, lobectomy, sleeve lobectomy, pneumonectomy, carina resection and reconstruction. During resection, normal lung tissue should be preserved as much as possible on the basis of complete removal of the primary lesion and possible metastatic lymph nodes in the chest cavity.

(1) Local excision:

Local resection is suitable for patients with very small primary cancers, elderly and frail patients with poor lung function, or patients with well-differentiated cancers and low malignancy, and can be performed by wedge-shaped cancer block resection and lung segment resection.

(2) Lobectomy

For isolated peripheral lung cancer, limited to one lobe without obvious lymph node enlargement, lobectomy can be performed. If the cancer involves two lobes or the middle bronchus, upper middle lobe or lower middle lobe lung resection can be performed.

(3) Sleeve lobectomy

Sleeve lobectomy is mostly suitable for patients whose tumors are located in the lobar bronchus and involve the lobar bronchial opening.

(4) Pneumonectomy

When lung cancer lesions are extensive and local resection cannot remove the lesions, complete lung resection may be performed and should be carefully considered.

(5) Carina resection and reconstruction

When the tumor exceeds the main bronchus and involves the carina or tracheal side wall but does not exceed 2 cm, carina resection and reconstruction or sleeve pneumonectomy can be performed, and efforts should be made to preserve one lobe of the lung during surgery.