Treatment - Surgery

The ultimate goal in a prompt and accurate diagnosis of any cancer is to determine what types of treatment the patient is eligible for. With lung cancer especially, the idea with diagnosis is to immediately develop a strategy for treatment that begins with deciding whether or not the patient is a candidate for surgery. The important thing to remember in every patient case, the circumstances are completely individual. Treatment options therefore, will reflect this case-by-case scenario and patients should be prepared for that. There is not necessarily a roadmap for each case already written. Eligibility for surgery will depend on any number of parameters including what type of lung cancer the patient has, where the cancer is located, the size of the cancer, if the cancer has metastasized, and the general health of the patient.

Surgery in lung cancer cases is similar to many other surgeries in cancer cases because of the ultimate goal, which is to remove the tumors. However, surgery in lung cancer cases is unique on a number of levels. The first and most important determination that must be made is what type of cancer is involved. Typically, only cases of non-small cell cancer are eligible for surgery. This is because small cell cancers are typically only diagnosed when the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body, rendering the patient ineligible for curative surgery. There are isolated cases in which early-detected small cell cancer is operable but these instances are quite rare and far from general practice, which typically entails other types of treatment such as radiation and chemotherapy.

What kind of surgery is performed is also something that needs to be determined when operating with most non-small cell lung cancer surgeries. In very early detected cases, typically the type of surgery will involve a removal of a small portion of the lung, which means the specialist believes the cancer is relegated to a very small area. If the specialist believes the cancer is in one part of the lung, a larger section of lung called a lobe will be removed. This is the most common type of procedure for lung cancer patients eligible for surgery. If the specialist believes the cancer is located in the central area of the lung and involves two lobes on the left or three lobes on the right, the specialist will typically recommend the removal of the entire lung. Contrary to popular belief, normal breathing is very possible with one lung. However, if the patient was hampered by breathing problems prior to surgery, it is unlikely they will be cured by a lung's absence. Comprehensive breathing evaluations will be performed on each patient before surgery.

There are complications in lung cancer with regards to where the carcinoma is actually located in the lungs. If the cancer is very close to your heart, windpipe, major arteries, or gullet, it is possible an operation would be too dangerous. Complications in these areas during an operation may be immediately life threatening. In these cases, the specialist will typically recommend alternative treatments such as radio or chemo therapy. Typically, surgical limitations with regards to size of the tumor will be complicated by a large tumor's proximity to one of the above areas.

If the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, then surgery will not be the right treatment for a patient. The goal of surgery is curative removal of the tumor in the lung and none of these surgeries has the ability to cure a cancer that has already spread to other parts of the body. The eligibility for surgery will also be entirely contingent upon the patients overall health. Patients with health histories hampered by severe heart conditions or other lung conditions will likely not be able to undergo lung surgery. These cases will be treated in other ways, including smaller surgeries, chemo, or radiotherapy.