How to Follow up Patients After Curative Resection of Lung Cancer

• Published in: Seminars in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 213 - 217
• Main Authors: Hanna, Waël C., MDCM, MBA, FRCSC, Keshavjee, Shaf, MD, FRCSC, FACS
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 2013
• Subjects: Algorithms; Bronchoscopy; Cardiothoracic Surgery; CT screening for lung cancer; follow up of lung cancer; Humans; low dose CT scan; lung cancer resection; Lung Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Lung Neoplasms - mortality; Lung Neoplasms - surgery; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplasms, Second Primary; Pneumonectomy - adverse effects; Pneumonectomy - mortality; Positron-Emission Tomography; Predictive Value of Tests; Radiation Dosage; Time Factors; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; lung cancer resection; follow up of lung cancer; low dose CT scan; CT screening for lung cancer
• ISSN: 1043-0679; 1532-9488
• DOI: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2013.07.005

Survivors of lung cancer surgery are among the highest-risk patients for developing another lung cancer, yet there is no clear consensus on the method of surveillance for patients after curative surgical resection. Surveillance is no longer futile because the emergence of computed tomography screening has allowed the detection of recurrences and new metachronous cancers at an early stage. In selected patients, lung cancer identified recently on routine computed tomography scan is amenable to curative treatment and is associated with longer survival.