Pneumonectomy or lobectomy? Study shows that surgeon's experience may be a contributing factor for non-small cell lung cancer patients
Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - 09:00
in Health & Medicine
For patients in the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer, surgical resection yields optimal outcomes. Prior investigations have shown that different resection procedures have very different outcomes, with pneumonectomy associated with three-fold higher mortality than other resection types. While it is understandable that pathological and physiological factors influence a surgeon’s choice of surgery for a particular patient, the results presented in this study suggest that physician discomfort with the operative complexities of a procedure may lead to selection of a technique associated with less favorable outcomes.