Surgical intervention – the removal of the tumor along with healthy tissue surrounding it – is a therapeutic option for lung cancer only when the patient’s overall health allows for the procedure to be safely completed and the tumor can be completely removed.

Surgery – when feasible – is the primary treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) because it increases the chances of cure. Surgery is applied to patients with stage I, stage II NSCLC, and certain stage IIIA diagnoses. It is not usually applied to stage IIIB and IIIC or to stage IV NSCLC, which is considered metastatic.

Surgery is rarely used as the primary treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) because most diagnoses occur at an advanced stage when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

We may perform surgery for lung cancer in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are administered either before surgery (neoadjuvant) or after surgery (adjuvant).

Discussion with the responsible team of specialist doctors regarding surgery is essential as it is a complex procedure that can have serious consequences for the patient. It is performed by a specially trained thoracic surgeon, who often deals with lung cancer patients. The opinion of the specialist thoracic surgeon should be part of the initial discussion of each patient’s treatment.