[Early-stage lung cancer: Is there still a role for surgery?]

For a patient with stage I or II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgical resection remains the treatment of choice on condition that the patient is functionally operable. A complete resection should be obtained. Often lobectomy is feasible by a minimally invasive approach. For patients with compromised cardiopulmonary function stereotactic radiotherapy is an alternative treatment. For patients who are functionally operable, no definite recommendation can be made as no large, randomised studies have been performed with a sufficient number of patients and long-term follow-up. For this reason, it is important to discuss every patient within a multidisciplinary team with participation of thoracic surgeons and radiation oncologists. To provide personalised advice, the primary tumour, its extension, the patient's comorbidities and his respiratory and cardiac function have to be considered.