Lobectomy for patients with limited lung function.

Increasingly, lung cancer is being diagnosed at an early stage. This trend is likely to increase with computerized tomographic screening as a result of the findings of the National Lung Screening Trial. Even in 2011, anatomical lobectomy is the gold standard for curative resection for early lung cancer. However, a significant proportion of patients with early lung cancer have limited lung function that places them at higher risk of complications from lobectomy. This article reviews the existing data for lobectomy in patients with limited lung function.