Surgical treatment is the only treatment option that gives the chance of complete recovery in early stage lung cancer.
After the diagnosis of lung cancer is made, staging is done to determine whether the cancer is at an early stage or to what extent it is advanced. Staging is a guide in predicting which treatment method will be applied and survival. Whether the tumor can be removed or not, that is, surgical treatment, is determined by the stage. Direct surgical treatment is applied to stage I and II tumors.
After it is decided that the tumor can be removed surgically, tests are performed to determine whether the patient can handle the planned surgery. Because surgical treatment is a complex operation that can have serious consequences.
Only age is not an obstacle to surgery. The patient should not have a very serious disease that could prevent surgery. Lung reserve (Respiratory capacity) and Heart reserve should be sufficient, the benefits of surgery should outweigh the risks.
Lung function tests help determine whether the remaining lung will be sufficient after the lung tissue to be removed along with the tumor and the possibilities of post-operative complications. If the patient appears to have borderline or insufficient respiratory capacity, he is not excluded from surgery immediately, and the patient's chances of surgery are challenged by additionally having Quantitative Perfusion scintigraphy and Exercise tests performed.
Every case of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer that has not metastasized distantly should be approached as a potential candidate for surgery. Up to 30% of lung cancers are confined to the lungs. Lung resection is generally performed as the main treatment for stage I and II cancers. Lung resection; It means surgical removal of the tumor-containing lung tissue, ideally one lobe.
In stage IIIA or IIIB, treatment is not primarily resection. Especially in Stage IIIA, neoadjuvant treatment is preferred in selected patients in order to shrink the tumor and its stage. A short chemotherapy treatment is usually given before surgery. After this treatment, the patient is re-evaluated. If a decrease in stage is detected, the patient is taken into surgery. In this way, the patient who did not have the chance for surgery before is given the chance for recovery, which we call cure. &n bsp;
Stage IV cancers are cancers that have metastasized distantly and are usually excluded from surgical treatment. However, in very rare circumstances, some groups of patients are evaluated for surgery. In patients with a single metastasis in the brain and sometimes in the adrenal gland, surgery can be performed for both lung tumor and brain or adrenal gland metastases.
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