Lung Cancer Pneumonectomy

What Is Pneumonectomy for Lung Cancer?

A pneumonectomy for lung cancer is a surgery to remove one of your lungs. It is the most aggressive type of lung resection or surgery.

There are two main types of pneumonectomy procedures:

• A simple or standard pneumonectomy is a surgical resection removing your entire right or left lung and, sometimes, nearby tissue and nerves.
• An extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) involves removing your lung, pleura (lung lining), pericardium (heart lining), and parts of your diaphragm (the muscle under your lungs).

Since it involves removing a patient’s lung, a pneumonectomy has a high risk of complication and is typically only recommended as a last resort. However, some patients can become long-term survivors following this procedure.

Skilled doctors can determine if a pneumonectomy or another lung cancer surgery could benefit you or someone you love.

Learn more about surgeries and other types of treatment that can help you or a loved one in our Free Lung Cancer Guide.

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Who Is Eligible for a Lung Cancer Pneumonectomy?

You may be eligible for a lung cancer pneumonectomy if you meet several criteria related to your diagnosis and health.

These include:

• Being in overall good health: To safely undergo a pneumonectomy, doctors will need to make sure that you can have a good quality of life with only one lung. They will also check if you have other health problems that could increase your risk of complications.
• Being younger: Younger lung cancer patients are typically physically stronger and have a better chance of recovering without complications.
• Having cancer that is only in the lung: If doctors find evidence of metastasis (cancer spread) outside of just one lung, they will likely recommend other treatments.

Those with pleural mesothelioma (cancer of the lung lining) may also be eligible to get a pneumonectomy. Patients who undergo a mesothelioma pneumonectomy and other treatments live for 35.6 months on average.

Talk to your oncology (cancer care) team to see if you qualify for lung removal surgery. If you are not eligible, your doctor can suggest other treatments that may allow you to live longer.

Pneumonectomy vs. Other Types of Lung Cancer Surgery

Pneumonectomy is the most aggressive type of lung cancer surgery. Most doctors will recommend a less extensive surgery in which only part of a lung is removed if possible. This way, patients can often recover faster and more easily.

Here’s how pneumonectomy compares to other lung cancer surgeries:

• Bronchial sleeve resection may be used to treat cancer in the lungs’ large airways and lung lobe(s). It involves removing the part of the main airway (bronchus) with a tumor and reattaching the healthy ends of the bronchus.
• Segmentectomy or wedge resection only removes part of a lung lobe. Doctors may suggest this approach if a patient does not have enough lung function to undergo a lobectomy or pneumonectomy.
• Lobectomy removes the entire lobe containing the lung tumor. The right lung has three lobes, and the left has two.

“For most lung cancers, pneumonectomy isn’t the right option, and in some cases, patients may not have enough lung function to accommodate an entire lung being removed.”
— Cancer hospital network City of Hope

Lung cancer doctors can determine which type of surgery will be best for your case.

How Do Lung Cancer Pneumonectomies Work?

Doctors follow a series of steps to perform a lung cancer pneumonectomy.

These steps include:

1. Assessment: Doctors will have the patient undergo cardiovascular and respiratory tests to determine if a lung cancer pneumonectomy is the best surgery for them.
2. Chemotherapy: According to City of Hope, many pneumonectomy patients receive chemotherapy before surgery. Chemotherapy helps to shrink the tumors so they can be removed more easily.
3. Anesthesia: When it’s time for your pneumonectomy, you’ll go to the hospital and be placed under anesthesia so you won’t feel anything.
4. Pneumonectomy: Doctors will deflate your lung and remove it using either video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or a thoracotomy (a surgical procedure involving an incision between the ribs to reach the chest cavity). They may also extract the pleura, diaphragm, pericardium, and/or lymph nodes.
5. Recovery: You’ll awaken from anesthesia and spend several days recovering in the hospital. You’ll be guided through the recovery process by your medical team and monitored for complications.

Recovering From Lung Cancer Pneumonectomy

Recovering from a lung cancer pneumonectomy generally requires 2 weeks in the hospital and 6 to 8 weeks at home. You may be sore and experience shortness of breath as you heal.

It is important to follow your health care provider’s recommendations for a healthy and quick recovery.

These may include:

• Adjusting your lifestyle to optimize your lung function
• Avoiding lung irritants like secondhand smoke and dust
• Getting pulmonary rehabilitation (a supervised medical program that helps people improve their breathing)
• Resting as much as possible

During regular follow-up appointments, your medical team will address any complications or side effects and monitor your lung function.

Johns Hopkins Medicine also notes that most patients don’t feel severe pain following a pneumonectomy, though you’ll be sore afterward.

Lung Cancer Pneumonectomy Prognosis

Prognosis measures a patient’s expected health outlook. The lung cancer prognosis following a pneumonectomy is favorable if there are minimal complications.

Lung cancer prognosis is measured by:

• Life expectancy: This is the patient’s projected survival time. The median life expectancy for patients who underwent a lung cancer pneumonectomy is 47 months, according to an Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery report.
• Survival rate: This is the percentage of patients still living after a set amount of years. In a study from The Journal of Thoracic Disease, the 5-year pneumonectomy survival rate was 38.5%.

Get a Free Lung Cancer Guide to learn more about how treatments like pneumonectomy can help you live longer and how to afford them.

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Benefits of Pneumonectomy for Lung Cancer Patients

A lung cancer pneumonectomy can be very beneficial to patients. The biggest benefit is the chance to improve long-term survival.

Many lung cancer patients who have received a pneumonectomy have lived for over 5 years after the procedure. Some even become long-term survivors, living for 20 years or more.

Side Effects & Complications of Pneumonectomy for Lung Cancer

Because a pneumonectomy involves removing a lung, patients are at a very high risk of complications both during and after the surgery.

These include:

• Blood clots (pulmonary embolism)
• Changes in heart rhythm
• Excessive bleeding
• Infections such as pneumonia
• Respiratory failure
• Shock

There is also a greater mortality risk with this surgery compared to other types of lung cancer treatment.

Factors like your age and other health problems will affect your risk for complications. Ask your health care provider about the potential side effects and complications of a pneumonectomy.

Lung Cancer Pneumonectomy With Other Treatments

Lung cancer doctors may prescribe other treatments along with a pneumonectomy to help patients live longer.

These lung cancer treatments include:

• Chemotherapy may be given before a pneumonectomy and other surgeries. The most commonly used chemotherapy drug combination is cisplatin and etoposide (Vepesid®).
• Immunotherapy uses substances to get the immune system to fight cancer. Examples of immunotherapy drugs include durvalumab (Imfinzi®), atezolizumab (Tecentriq®), and cemiplimab (Libtayo®).
• Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy beams to kill cancer, and it is often administered before a pneumonectomy.
• Targeted therapy attacks proteins that affect how cancer cells divide, grow, and spread.

Your lung cancer specialist can review all treatments that you qualify for to determine which will work best for you.

Cost of Lung Cancer Pneumonectomy

The out-of-pocket cost of a lung cancer pneumonectomy is incredibly high. An extrapleural pneumonectomy costs approximately $62,000.

Even with insurance, the expenses of a pneumonectomy and other lung cancer treatments can be costly and bring financial uncertainty to families. However, there is hope for families affected by lung cancer.

With our team’s help, you or a loved one may be able to access lung cancer compensation to cover any expenses related to a lung cancer diagnosis.

Find Cancer Centers Offering Lung Cancer Pneumonectomy

A lung cancer pneumonectomy can potentially help you or someone you love live longer. Your health care team can determine if a pneumonectomy will be a good fit for your treatment plan.

However, after a lung cancer diagnosis, you may be concerned about how you’ll cover the costs of treatments like a pneumonectomy.

Thankfully, you don’t have to face lung cancer alone. Work with Lung Cancer Group to pursue the support and care you need and deserve.

Our team can help you:

• Explore financial compensation options for medical expenses
• Find emotional support during this trying time
• Understand your treatment options

Call (877) 446-5767 now or Get a Free Lung Cancer Guide to learn about all the ways we can help you.