Segmentectomy for Lung Cancer

Overview
Segmentectomy, also called wedge resection, is a surgical procedure used to treat non-small cell lung cancer. It is typically performed when lung cancer is in its earliest stages or when a person’s lung function does not allow for lobectomy surgery (removal of an entire lobe of a lung). The left lung has two lobes, and the right lung has three.

What does it involve?
Segmentectomy is a surgery to remove only the diseased part of one of the lobes of a lung. Sometimes only the tumor and some nearby tissue are removed, which is called wedge resection. Other times, an entire portion of the lobe is removed.

The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. A surgeon will make an incision in the side where the affected lung is. The incisions can be small (minimally invasive) or larger. The lung will then be inflated and the tumor or lobe section removed.

Segmentectomy is an inpatient procedure. You will typically spend two to three days in the hospital after a minimally invasive procedure or five to seven days after a larger one. It can take many months to recover fully from the procedure.

Side effects
Risks from segmentectomy include complications from anesthesia, an opening forming between the airways in the lung and the area just outside the lung (bronchopleural fistula), fluid collecting between the lung and chest wall (pleural effusion), infection, bleeding, and, rarely, death.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Lung Segmentectomy — Mercy Health
https://www.mercy.com/health-care-services/canc...

Segmental and Wedge Resection — Beaumont
https://www.beaumont.org/treatments/segmental-a...