Lung cancer and the left internal mammary artery graft.

A patient with a left upper lobe non-small cell lung cancer involving a previous left internal mammary artery graft is presented to highlight the potential complications associated with resective lung operations in these patients. If left internal mammary artery involvement by tumor is suspected, coronary and left internal mammary artery catheterization should be added to the standard non-small cell lung cancer staging evaluation before considering surgical resection.