The role of sublobar resections in the treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer—still awaiting evidence

Lobectomy and mediastinal lymphadenectomy remain a standard of care in vast majority of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. According to the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) recommendations, sublobar resections including anatomical segmentectomy and wedge resection may be recommended in highly selected patients, for instance patients with limited respiratory reserves or those with other serious medical conditions, in whom lobectomy would be associated with a significant increase of perioperative risk. Another indication to perform segmentectomy seem to be a peripheral lung tumor with a diameter of less than 2 cm with a non-solid character or part-solid component <50% of the tumor diameter (1). Due to the widespread use of computed tomography in lung cancer screening programs and aging of the population, the number of patients that will be able to meet the above-mentioned criteria probably would increase in the forthcoming years.