Surgery is one of the recommended treatments for patients with non-small cell lung cancer; it involves removing parts of the lung and other tissues and lymph nodes in order to eradicate the cancer. Surgery for non-small cell lung cancer is carried out on the extent at which the cancer has spread which is also related to the stage of the lung cancer. Surgery can be carried out on patients with non-small cell lung cancer in which the cancer tumors are small in size, and it has not yet spread beyond the lung where the cancer started.
A non-small cell cancer that is still at one part of the lung can easily be eradicated using surgery. Sometimes the general health of the patient is being considered before any surgery is carried out. The health of the patient needs to be checked and confirmed to be in good condition so as to avoid complications in the course of the treatment, and to ensure that the treatment is carried out successfully. In a situation where the cancer has spread to far, surgery might not be the right kind of treatment anymore, other types of treatment have to be considered.
However, several factors are to be considered before planning to carry out a surgery treatment on patient with non-small cell lung cancer. These factors are sort of requirement that must be met before the surgery can be carried out. The factors include
- The location of the primary tumor in the lung.
- The type of non-small cell lung cancer.
- The stage of the cancer.
- The general health of the patient.
Besides the factors to be considered, discussions should be made with the doctor who is a specialist in the particular type of non-small cell lung cancer so as to discuss the possible side effect, and also get details about the best treatment option.