Optimal Timing of Early-Stage Lung Cancer Resection

Although lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer-related death globally, early-stage cases are eligible for resection with curative intent. Timely care is a general feature of high-quality health care, but the effect of timeliness on lung cancer outcomes and the exact timing of surgical treatment that constitutes a “delay” remain uncertain. In this chapter, we review the growing body of literature that explores the ideal timing for lung cancer surgery. The existing data provide moderate evidence that timely surgery (as soon as possible after diagnosis, up to 12 weeks) is beneficial for survival, cancer recurrence, and pathologic upstaging.