title: Surgery for lung cancer invading the mediastinum.
abstract: Lung cancer infiltrating the mediastinum is a subset of locally advanced lung tumors for which surgery is not routinely offered. Radical operations that involve removal of adjacent mediastinal structures to obtain free margins may provide a realistic cure. Such extended resections are typically reserved to highly motivated patients seeking more aggressive management, and are only offered following complete evaluation on a case-by-case basis. Positive prognosis depends on complete R0 resection and lack of mediastinal nodal metastases. Careful and exhaustive preoperative planning as well as surgical expertise cannot be overemphasized for successful surgical outcomes. Here we provide a brief summary of the literature as well as our own experience managing these rare and sometimes challenging surgeries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Adnan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Al-Ayoubi
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Raja M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Flores
keywords: Mediastinum; aorta; atria; esophagus; extended resection; lung cancer; pulmonary artery (PA); superior vena cava (SVC)