Relevant knowledge about surgical treatment of lung cancer

Surgical treatment of lung cancer is the most important and effective treatment method. Its purpose is to remove the primary lung cancer lesions and local and mediastinal lymph nodes as thoroughly as possible, and preserve normal lung tissue as much as possible.

The scope of lung resection depends on the location and size of the lesion. For peripheral lung cancer, anatomical lobectomy is generally performed; for central lung cancer, lobectomy or unilateral pneumonectomy is generally performed. In some patients, the cancer is located in one lobe but has invaded the local main bronchus or intermediate bronchus. In order to preserve the adjacent normal lobe and avoid unilateral pneumonectomy, the diseased lobe and a section of the affected bronchus can be removed, and then the upper and lower ends of the bronchus can be anastomosed. This is called bronchial sleeve lobectomy. It should be noted that systematic hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection should be performed simultaneously during the operation.

The results of surgical treatment for lung cancer are ideal. After surgical treatment, about half of people with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer can achieve long-term survival, and the 5-year survival rate exceeds 70%. For patients in the middle and late stages, the surgical resection rate is 85% to 97%, and the 5-year survival rate is 30% to 40%.

Lung cancer has already metastasized to distant sites such as the brain, bones, and liver; patients with impaired heart, liver, lung, and kidney function and poor general condition; patients with extensive hilar and mediastinal lymph node metastasis that cannot be completely removed; patients with severe invasion of surrounding organs and tissues that are estimated to be difficult to resect; lung cancer patients with extrathoracic lymph node metastasis, etc. should undergo surgery with caution, as these are contraindications for surgical treatment of lung cancer.