Pleurectomy / Decortication

Pleurectomy is a surgery to remove part of the pleural lining of the lungs and chest.  Often this is done together with a decortication to remove the outside surface of the lungs or diaphragm as well.  The goal of a pleurectomy is to peel away the tumor while leaving the lungs and diaphragm intact.  This usually allows a patient to regain their lung function after the surgery.

However, in most cases, the tumor cannot be completely removed via pleurectomy.  In addition, the doctor cannot give high doses of radiation to the chest after the surgery, because this could seriously damage the intact lung and diaphragm.  Therefore, the tumor is significantly more likely to recur after a pleurectomy than after an extrapleural pneumonectomy.  Doctors will often perform a pleurectomy/decortication as a palliative treatment for patients who cannot tolerate extrapleural pneumonectomy.