Lobectomy

A small number of people with lung cancer have an operation called a sleeve resection. Your surgeon may do this to avoid removing your whole lung if the cancer is in the central area of the lung and is growing into one of your main airways (bronchi).  In this situation, a simple lobectomy can't be done. Sleeve resection involves removing the affected section of the bronchus, and any surrounding cancer in the lobe. 

Doctors call the operation to remove the whole lung a pneumonectomy (new-mon-ek-tom-ee). Your specialist will recommend this operation if the tumour is in the central area of the lung and involves either the 2 lobes on the left or the 3 lobes on the right.

Many people worry that they won't be able to breathe properly with only one lung but you can breathe normally with only one lung.

Some operations remove particular areas of the lung. A wedge resection removes an area of the lung that includes part of one or more lobes. A segmentectomy removes areas of the lung along with their veins, arteries and airways. These types of operation are used when the specialist thinks the cancer has been diagnosed early and is only in one very small area.