Thomas V Bilfinger1. 1. Department of Surgery, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA. tbilfinger@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The treatment of lung cancer has been most successful when surgery is involved. This review is a succinct overview of lung cancer treatment from the thoracic surgeon's perspective over the past 2 years. RECENT FINDINGS: Starting with the evidence-based guidelines developed by the American College of Chest Physicians, the main themes in the literature are a multimodality approach and the miniaturization of surgical approaches. Palliative procedures, staging, and extension of surgery to patients previously thought inoperable are other subjects covered. SUMMARY: We are standing on the verge of having a definitive answer to the 20-year-old question whether adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy benefits patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Sufficient data will be available shortly to determine whether minimally invasive surgical approaches yield similar long-term outcomes as traditional approaches.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The treatment of lung cancer has been most successful when surgery is involved. This review is a succinct overview of lung cancer treatment from the thoracic surgeon's perspective over the past 2 years. RECENT FINDINGS: Starting with the evidence-based guidelines developed by the American College of Chest Physicians, the main themes in the literature are a multimodality approach and the miniaturization of surgical approaches. Palliative procedures, staging, and extension of surgery to patients previously thought inoperable are other subjects covered. SUMMARY: We are standing on the verge of having a definitive answer to the 20-year-old question whether adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy benefits patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Sufficient data will be available shortly to determine whether minimally invasive surgical approaches yield similar long-term outcomes as traditional approaches.