Lung surgery is a surgery done to remove or repair the lung tissue. Surgery is not used to treat small cell lung cancer, unless it is at a very early stage. Small cell lung cancer has usually spread beyond the lung when it is diagnosed and not possible to remove with the surgery. Further it is important to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy rather than surgery for small cell lung cancer.
Types of Lung Surgeries
Different operations can be used to treat Lung Surgeries
Pneumonectomy : This surgery is done when the tumor is close to the center of chest and during the surgery the whole lung is required to remove.
Lobectomy : The surgery in which one lobe of a lung is removed, the right lung has three lobes and the left lung has two lobes. This Lobectomy surgery is performed for other conditions, such as tuberculosis, severe COPD or trauma that interrupts major blood vessels near the lungs.
Segmentectomy or wedge resection : This surgery is used to remove a tumor and normal tissue and refers to removing a section of a lobe of the lung, if a person doesn’t have enough lung function to withstand removing the whole lobe.
Sleeve resection : Surgery to remove a lung tumor in a lobe of the lung and a part of the main bronchus. The ends of the bronchus are rejoined and any remaining lobes are reattached to the bronchus. This surgery is done to save part of the lung and known as sleeve resection.