Im told I should find a surgeon who does “a lot” of lung cancer surgeries. Im not sure what that means–how many lung surgeries should a surgeon do a year to be good at it?
There is an increasing amount of scientific information that your surgeon is an important factor in determining not only the likelihood of having an uncomplicated surgery but also your chances of being alive and cancer-free 5 years after your operation. If possible, you should seek a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon who practices predominantly general thoracic surgery in a lung cancer multidisciplinary team. A multidisciplinary team is usually composed of surgeons, pulmonologists, medical oncologist, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists as well as other support staff. Patients cared for in this setting receive the benefit of all the member of the team reviewing their case and helping to develop the most effective plan of care. Surgeons who practice in these settings often do between 30 and 100 lobectomies per year as well as many other lung cancer related surgeries.
