Sleeve lobectomy versus pneumonectomy for lung cancer patients with good pulmonary function

Abstract

Surgical resection of lung cancer is the mainstay for potentially curative cancer therapy. However, controversy exists regarding appropriate surgical management of centrally located tumors. Initially, surgical therapy of central tumors consisted of pneumonectomy as the only surgical option with favorable outcomes. However, parenchymalsparing procedures, such as sleeve lobectomy, were subsequently described for patients unable to tolerate pneumonectomy because of poor pulmonary reserve. The favorable results in terms of operative morbidity and mortality after sleeve lobectomy in patients with inadequate cardiopulmonary function stimulated the use of parenchymal-sparing procedures for patients with adequate pulmonary function. Increasing clinical evidence suggests that short-term outcomes for sleeve lobectomy are similar to those for pneumonectomy, regardless of cardiopulmonary reserve. © 2007 Springer-Verlag London Limited.