Surgical resection of lung cancer

Surgery remains the treatment of choice for patients with lung cancer who demonstrate resectable tumors. The type of surgical procedure performed depends on the degree of metastasis and the functional lung capacity of the patient. In addition to problems common to all surgical patients, complications such as cardiac arrhythmias, pulmonary embolus, respiratory failure, bronchopleural fistula, and empyema may occur. Although survival statistics for patients with lung cancer remain poor, the common denominator in patients that have survived 5 years is surgical resection.