How much of the lung is removed during surgery?
The most common operation for lung cancer is called a lobectomy. There are 3 lobes, or segments, of the right lung and two lobes of the left lung. A lobectomy involves removing the tumor along with the lobe of the lung from which the tumor arises. On occasion, a lobectomy may not be sufficient to remove the entire tumor. In this case, removal of the entire lung may be recommended. This operation is called a pneumonectomy.
