a-Surgeries
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| LUNG CANCER |
Surgery for small non-cellular lung cancer
Surgery to remove cancer may be an option for non-early stage small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This provides an excellent opportunity to cure the disease. However, lung cancer surgery is a complex surgery that can have serious consequences, so it should be performed by a surgeon with experience in lung cancer surgery.
If your doctor thinks cancer can be cured by surgery:
💥Lung function tests will be done to see if you have enough healthy lung tissue after surgery.
💥Tests will be done to check the function of your heart and other organs and to ensure that you are healthy enough for surgery.
💥Your doctor should check if cancer has already spread to the lymph nodes between the lungs. This is often before surgery.
💥Is performed with mediastinoscopy or another technique described in lung tests.
Types of lung surgery
Different functions may be used to treat (and possibly cure) NSCLC. Through any of these operations, nearby lymph nodes are also removed to detect the spread of cancer. These activities require general anesthesia (you are in a deep sleep) and in general,
💥Thoracotomy: This surgery is performed by incision between the ribs on the side or back of the chest. (This treatment is called thoracotomy).
💥Pneumonectomy: This surgery removes the entire lung. This may be necessary if the tumor is near the center of the chest.
💥Lobectomy: The lung is made up of 5 lobes (3 on the right and 2 on the left). In this surgery, the entire flap containing the tumor (or tumors) is removed. If this can be done, this is often the preferred surgical method for NSCLC.
💥Segmentectomy or wedge resection: In these surgeries, only part of the flap is removed. This approach can be used if a person does not have sufficient natural endurance.
💥Sleeve resection:: This surgery can be used to treat some cancers of the large airways in the lungs. The large airway with the tumor is similar to the sleeve of a shirt with a stain a few inches above the wrist, and the sleeve resection is like cutting the top and bottom (tumor) across the sleeve (airway) and then sewing the cuff. This surgery can be performed by a surgeon instead of a pneumonectomy to preserve more lung function on the re-compressed sleeve.
The surgery recommended by your doctor depends on the size and location of the tumor and how well your lungs are functioning.
If a person's lungs are healthy enough, only then doctors will often seek to perform a comprehensive surgery (for example, a lobectomy instead of a segmentectomy) as it may provide a better chance of curing cancer.
When you wake up after surgery, a tube (or tubes) will come out of your chest and attach to a special container to allow excess fluid and air to escape. The pipe (s) will be removed once the liquid drain and air leakage are sufficiently reduced. Generally, you should stay in the hospital for 5 to 7 days after surgery.
Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS): -
Video-assisted chest surgery (VATS), also known as thoracoscopy, is a procedure often used by physicians to treat early-stage lung cancer. It uses small incisions, usually performed with a small period of hospital stay, and has fewer complications than thoracotomy.
Most experts recommend treating only the early stages of lung cancer in this way. The healing rate after this surgery is the same as for surgery with a large incision. But it is important that the surgeon who performs this procedure is experienced because it requires more skill.
Robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS)
In this approach, thoracoscopy is performed using a robotic system. The surgeon sits on a control panel in the operating room and moves the robotic arms to operate through several small incisions in the patient's chest.
RATS is similar to VATS in terms of lower pain, blood loss, and recovery time.
To the surgeon, this robotic system of moving tools may offer greater efficiency and greater accuracy than basic VATS treatment. However, the most important factor for the success of both types of breast surgery is the experience and skill of the surgeon.
Possible risks and side effects of lung surgery
Surgery with potential risks for lung cancer can have many major and serious side effects, which is why these treatments are not a good idea for everyone. While all surgeries have certain risks, these depend on the size of the surgery and the overall health of the person, and the severity of the surgery.
Possible complications during and after surgery include anesthesia, excessive bleeding, blood clots in the legs or lungs, wound infections, and pneumonia. Rarely, some people cannot survive the surgery.
Lung cancer usually takes weeks to months to recover from surgery. If the surgery is done with a thoracotomy (a long incision in the chest) the surgeon will have to stretch the ribs to go to the lungs, so the area near the incision will be painful for some period of days after the surgery.
Your activity may be limited to at least one or two months. People with VATS instead of thoracotomy have less pain after surgery and heal faster.
If your lungs are in good condition (except for cancer) and a flap or even the entire lung is removed, you may return to normal after a while. If you have another lung disease such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis (which is common among long-term smokers), shortness of breath may occur with some activity after surgery.
Surgery for lung cancer that has spread to other organs:
If the lung cancer has spread to your brain and there is only one tumor, you may benefit from removing the tumor. This surgery should only be considered if the tumor in the lung has been removed or treated (with radiation and/or chemotherapy).
Surgical removal of a tumor in the brain is called a craniotomy. It should only be done if the tumor is removed without damaging vital parts of the brain.
