Surgery:
Surgery is not usually an option for small cell lung cancers because most have spread beyond the lung by the time they are diagnosed. Because non-small cell lung cancers are less aggressive, however; surgery sometimes can be used to treat them. The surgeon decides on the type of surgery depending on how much of the lung is affected. Surgery may be the primary method of treatment, or radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy may be used to shrink the tumor before surgery is attempted. The pain that follows surgery can be relieved by medications. reventative antibiotics and sometimes antiviral medications are given after surgery.
There are three different types of surgical operations:
There are three different types of surgical operations:
- Wedge resection. This procedure involves removing a small part of the lung.
- Lobectomy. A lobectomy is the removal of one lobe of the lung. If the cancer is limited to one part of the lung, the surgeon will perform a lobectomy.
- Pneumonectomy. A pneumonectomy is the removal of an entire lung. If the surgeon feels that removal of the entire lung is the best option for curing the cancer, a pneumonectomy is performed.