[What's new in the surgical treatment of lung cancer?]

The incidence of lung cancer in Hungary remains among the highest in Europe. Despite its high mortality rate, surgical treatment of early stage disease may lead to full recovery. In the past two decades, the field of thoracic surgery has seen significant technological advances, as well as a major paradigm shift. Our article aims to summarize these recent improvements. Prediction of survival rates improved significantly due to the 8th revision of the TNM system, but there are other new predictive models too. The growing number of minimally invasive surgical procedures shortened and eased the pre- and postoperative periods. Perioperative risks can be reduced and quality of life will improve with sub-lobar resections. A range of newly developed equipment enables gas exchange leaving free access to airways thus ensuring patient safety during extended procedures. Finally, the development of novel biological drugs brought on the need to reconsider the operability of oligometastatic patients and those requiring so-called salvage procedures.