Salvage Lung Resection After Definitive Radiation (>59 Gy) for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Surgical and Oncologic Outcomes

Salvage lung resection after definitive chemoradiation is feasible, with encouraging survival. Surgical indication is predictive, with higher survival among patients undergoing resection for abnormal FDG-PET than for obvious relapse by CT. FDG-PET should be studied prospectively in selecting patients for salvage lung resection. Systematic staging may have increased primary incorporation of surgery, minimizing the need for late salvage.