What is a Pulmonary Lobectomy?

In late December, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a pulmonary lobectomy at MSK to remove two nodules on the lower lobe of her left lung. But what does this mean?

Newsweek answered this question in a recent article, referring to an MSK patient information page for information. Patients with non-small cell lung cancer that has not spread are typically treated with a pulmonary lobectomy, during which surgeons remove the lobe of the lung containing the cancer (the right lung has three lobes and the left has two). This surgery is the most common operation for patients with this type of cancer and offers the best chance of a cure for otherwise healthy people with cancer that has not spread.

Learn more about lung cancer from MSK’s patient information pages.