Surgery for lung cancer —the Indian scenario

AbstractLung cancer is among the most common cancers and by far the commonest cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide as well as in India. Practice patterns vary widely, and there is scarce published literature on patterns of care in early-stage lung cancer in India. Diagnostic work-up includes a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scan of the thorax and upper abdomen, and if there are no metastases, a formal metastatic work-up includes a positron emission tomography (PET) –CT scan and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Mediastinal staging has wide variations with endoscopic (endosonographic and endobronchial ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology) and operative (mediastinoscopy, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery) techniques as well as co mbinations followed in different centers. Most centers optimize patients with chest physiotherapy and smoking cessation preoperatively. Minimally invasive techniques are gaining popularity with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery predominating over robotic surgery. There is an urgent need to standa rdize management protocols for treating early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and documenting the results of treatment in India.
Source: Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Source Type: research