Issues Relevant to Surgical Intervention in ‘Tiny’ Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Detected by ‘Lung Screening’--Orientation, Lung Resection and Lymph Node Resection

Abstract

With the widely application of chest computed tomography (CT) and gradual generalization of lung cancer screening project for high risk populations, more and more “tiny lung cancers” were identified. Due to the difficulty in intraoperative orientation, their less aggressiveness, and excellent short/long term prognosis, the ‘tiny lung cancers’ posed new challenges for the surgery in the treatment of lung cancer. In this review, theirfore, we focused on these challenges and presented the progress in lung cancer screening, orientation of lung nodules, lobectomy and sublobectomy, and lymph node dissection.

Keywords

• Lung neoplasms
• Lung screening
• Lobectomy
• Sublobectomy
• Lymph node resection