Many people with lung cancer will have some form of surgery, as different types of surgery are used for different reasons:

• Curative surgery: the tumour is removed and appears to be confined to just the one site. Surrounding lung tissue, or even the whole lung, may also be removed with the aim of ensuring no cancer cells remain in the body.
• Debulking surgery: parts (not all) of the tumour are removed. The tumour may be too large to remove it all, or it may have grown into other important vessels or organ parts. By reducing the tumour size there is generally a decrease in pain and symptoms.

Side effects:

Complications may occur during the operation, such as blood loss requiring blood transfusions. The lungs or other organs may be damaged due to the tumour and/or its surgical removal, which may result in the organ(s) not functioning as well as prior to the tumour growth.

As with most types of surgery, some pain may be experienced after the operation. The type and severity of pain will depend on the site of the surgery. Medication is given to help relieve the pain experienced post-surgery. Infection at the site of the operation may also occur after surgery, with most infections treated with the use of antibiotics.