Principles and methods of surgical treatment of lung cancer

Many lung cancer patients choose surgical treatment, and most patients believe that surgical treatment is more thorough and effective. However, there are basic principles and methods for lung cancer surgical treatment. This article mainly talks about the indications for lung cancer surgical treatment and the selection of lung cancer surgical treatment methods.

1. Indications for surgical treatment of lung cancer

Those who meet the following conditions are generally considered candidates for lung cancer surgery:

1. No distant metastasis (M0), including solid organs such as liver, brain, adrenal glands, bones, extrathoracic lymph nodes, etc.

2. The cancerous tissue has not invaded or spread to adjacent organs or tissues in the chest, such as the aorta, superior vena cava, esophagus, and cancerous pleural effusion.

3. No recurrent laryngeal nerve or phrenic nerve paralysis.

4. Patients without severe cardiopulmonary dysfunction or recent cardiac angina.

5. Those without severe liver or kidney diseases and severe diabetes.

II. Nomenclature and meaning of palliative resection and radical resection in lung cancer surgery

1. Radical resection (R)

Radical surgery refers to the complete removal of the primary cancer and its metastatic lymph nodes.

Radical surgery for lung cancer not only requires the surgeon to achieve complete cure under the naked eye, but more importantly, the lymph nodes must be completely removed and there must be no residual cancer cells in the bronchial stump under a microscope.

2. Palliative resection (P)

When lung cancer is surgically removed and there is still residual cancer in the chest cavity (confirmed by pathological histology), or when the resection is considered complete during the operation, such as the bronchial stump appears normal to the naked eye but there are residual cancer cells under the microscope, it is called palliative resection.

3. Choice of surgical treatment for lung cancer

According to the 1985 international lung cancer staging system, lung cancer surgery can be used to treat stage 0, I, II and III lung cancer cases without contraindications to surgery.

The principles of lung cancer surgical resection are

The primary lesion and possible metastatic lymph nodes in the chest cavity should be completely removed, and normal lung tissue should be preserved as much as possible. Pneumonectomy should be performed with caution.