Lung Cancer Surgery | Removal, Recovery, & Survival Rates

Lung Cancer Surgery

One of the most common ways to treat lung cancer is surgery. Surgery involves removing cancerous lung tissue from your body. This treatment can be successful in improving a patient’s life expectancy after a lung cancer diagnosis. Learn more about surgery options and how Lung Cancer Group may be able to help you pay for treatment.

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About Surgery for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer surgerySurgery is a common lung cancer treatment option for some patients depending on the stage, the type of lung cancer they have, and their overall health. It involves removing lung cancer cells from the body by taking out all or part of a lung.

This treatment is often used for both types of lung cancer — non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) — in their early stages.

There are two approaches to lung cancer surgery:

  • Thoracotomy: This is a more invasive approach for lung cancer surgery, requiring an incision along the chest and ribs and spreading the ribs to reach the lungs. Once surgery is complete on the lungs, the doctors will repair the chest wall and close the incision.
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery: This involves doctors making a handful of small incisions and using tiny cameras and instruments to perform surgery on the affected lung tissue. It is also called video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

Depending on the patient’s overall health and the stage of lung cancer, doctors will choose between these two approaches and develop a surgical treatment plan. It is also likely patients will get additional types of treatment, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Talk to your health care provider to learn whether lung cancer surgery is a good option for you. Surgery can often be one of the best ways to extend your lung cancer life expectancy.

Get our Free Lung Cancer Guide to learn how surgery and other treatments could help you.

Lung Cancer Group was established by a team of caring advocates so those with lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases can get the help they deserve. Our site provides the most accurate and up-to-date information about lung cancer, its link to asbestos, and financial compensation available to patients. Contact us to learn more and get assistance.

  1. American Cancer Society. (2022). Surgery for Small Cell Lung Cancer. Retrieed July 19, 2023, from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/treating-small-cell/surgery.html.
  2. American Lung Association. (2022). Lung Cancer Surgery. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/treatment/types-of-treatment/lung-cancer-surgery.
  3. Cancer Research UK. (2023). Problems after lung cancer surgery. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/lung-cancer/treatment/surgery/possible-problems.
  4. Cleveland Clinic. Lung Resection. (2021). Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21868-lung-resection.
  5. Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Small Cell Lung Cancer. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6202-small-cell-lung-cancer.
  6. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d). Pneumonectomy. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/pneumonectomy.
  7. Mayo Clinic. (2023). Radiation therapy. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiation-therapy/about/pac-20385162.
  8. Moffitt Cancer Center. (n.d.). Thoracotomy. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.moffitt.org/cancers/lung-cancer/treatment/surgery/thoracotomy/.
  9. National Cancer Institute. (2023). Lung-Sparing Surgery Is Effective for Some with Early-Stage Lung Cancer. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2023/early-stage-lung-cancer-sublobar-surgery.
  10. National Cancer Institute. (2022). Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies.
  11. Journal of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery. (2020). Long-term survival outcome after lobectomy in patients with clinical T1 No lung cancer. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32067786/.
  12. Stanford Medicine. (n.d.). Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Lobectomy. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/v/vats/vats-types/vats-lobectomy.html.
  13. Yale Medicine. (n.d.). Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Retrieved June 28, 2023 from https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/non-small-cell-lung-cancer.
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