Dr. Rizk on the Role of Surgery in Nonmetastatic Lung Cancer

Nabil P. Rizk, MD, MS, MPH, chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Hackensack University Medical Center, co-director, Thoracic Oncology, John Theurer Cancer Center, discusses the role of anatomic surgical resection in nonmetastatic lung cancer.

According to Rizk, surgery plays a vital, and potentially growing role in this space. Anatomic lung resection appears to be the optimal treatment for patients with early-stage disease who can undergo surgery.

For patients with limited physiologic capacity, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) or anatomic lung resection may be considered.

Rizk highlights that for patients with aggressive subtypes of lung cancer like micropapillary lung adenocarcinoma or solid tumor type, surgery may not yield more benefit than SBRT, and a radiation oncologist will often be consulted to determine the best treatment.