[Current views on the operability of pulmonary carcinoma]

A review of the world's leading series showed that, in spite of the criticism levelled against it and its limitations, surgical management is still the first and the soundest means, albeit not the only means of obtaining a cure. In subjects treated surgically only, survival is of the order of 25%, irrespective of histological type. This explains the modern tendency to evaluate complementary treatment, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy in suitable combinations. Stress is also placed on the importance of exploratory thoracotomy as the only sound way of determining the precise radicality of the operation, and with a view to regional reductive surgery.