Absolute and relative contraindications to pulmonary resection: effect of lung cancer surgery guidelines on medical...

Patients with primary lung cancer that has not spread beyond a lung should be considered for an operation provided their general health is good, their functional capacity is adequate, and survival benefits outweigh the operative risk. Not all patients are suitable for pulmonary resection. Alternative forms of treatment should be considered for patients who have disseminated cancer, limited cardiopulmonary reserve, advanced chronologic and physiologic age, and those who decline treatment.