Choosing Appropriate Resection for Operable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Choosing surgery for the patient with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and determining the extent of resection most appropriate for cure of the disease and preservation of the patient’s functionality have been important points of discussion over the years. The first intentional thoracotomy and resection of lung tissue was performed by the rural Georgia physician Milton Antony in 1821 to manage what was probably a necrotic lung cancer with extensive anterior chest wall invasion. Anesthesia for this event was accomplished with little more than alcohol intoxication; however, the patient survived the operative intervention and for several months after…