A decade of advances in treatment of early-stage lung cancer

Emerging from the past decade, there has been a diversification of options for the treatment of early-stage lung cancer. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is now more widely performed, with oncologic outcomes equivalent to those with open thoracotomy. Although lobectomy remains the standard approach to surgical resection, lesser resections, such as segmentectomy and wedge resection, are considerations for some patients. Advances in surgical, radiation, and medical therapies continue to evolve. Future research questions will focus on comparing long-term outcomes with these modalities, including survival, as well as patient-centered endpoints, such as quality of life.