# Pneumonectomy

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/pneumonectomy/  
OnCo record `pneumonectomy` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Removing an entire lung. Now rare in cancer surgery because the cost in breathing capacity is high.

## Summary

Used for central lung tumours that cannot be cleared by lobectomy or sleeve resection. Extrapleural pneumonectomy (lung, pleura, diaphragm and pericardium) was tried for mesothelioma but the MARS 1 trial suggested harm and practice shifted to lung-sparing pleurectomy/decortication, itself questioned by MARS 2. Mortality is 5-10%, and long-term cardiopulmonary limitation is common.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: extrapleural pneumonectomy; pneumonectomies

## Notes

- Lung cancer: NICE NG122 (1.5.2) says to offer more extensive surgery, including pneumonectomy, only when needed to obtain clear margins, so removing a whole lung should always have a stated reason. The predicted postoperative lung function recommendation (1.4.12) applies most sharply here: NICE says to offer people with predicted postoperative FEV1 or transfer factor below 30 percent the option of treatment with curative intent if they accept the risks of breathlessness and associated complications.

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonectomy
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonectomy
- NICE NG122: lung cancer, management: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng122/chapter/Management

## Connected records

- terms: [Lobectomy](https://onco.cc/terms/lobectomy/), [Pleura](https://onco.cc/terms/pleura/)
- cancers: [Lung cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/lung-cancer/), [Mesothelioma](https://onco.cc/cancers/mesothelioma/), [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/), [Resectable stage I to III non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/resectable-nsclc/)
- fronts: [Surgery & Interventional](https://onco.cc/fronts/surgery/)
- trials: [MARS 2](https://onco.cc/trials/mars-2/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/pneumonectomy.json