What are the different types of surgery for lung cancer?

There are several options for surgical treatment of lung cancer. The standard operation is a lobectomy and this can be performed via the standard thoracotomy or more recently with thoracoscopy. Based on the specifics of the tumor and its involvement, a pneumonectomy (removal of the entire lung on one side) may be performed. In some patients, a lesser amount of lung can be removed via a wedge resection or segmentectomy. In patients who cannot tolerate a lobectomy for lung cancer, they may be candidates for wedge resection and brachymesh placement. In some cases, patients may also need to have a portion of their chest wall, pericardium, or diaphragm removed with the tumor.

The majority patients will require a lobectomy surgery for lung cancer. In this video, Raja Flores, MD, thoracic surgeon at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, explains the different surgeries for lung cancer.