Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Lobectomy: what the operation involves | CION Cancer Clinics
A lobectomy removes one whole lobe of the lung, together with the lymph glands that drain it. You are asleep throughout. The surgeon reaches the lung through keyhole cuts or one longer cut between the ribs, seals the lobe's artery, vein and airway, and lifts it out. A chest drain stays in for a few days. This page walks through the operation, the ward and the questions to ask. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What is a lobectomy and what happens during it?
- What actually happens while you are asleep?
- What do the first days after a lobectomy look like?
- What can go wrong, and what the team watches for
- What families ask about lobectomy, and what is actually true
- What only your own team can answer
- Common questions about lobectomy
The short answer
What is a lobectomy and what happens during it?
A lobectomy removes one whole lobe of the lung, with the lymph glands that drain it. You are asleep throughout. The surgeon reaches the lung through small keyhole cuts or one longer cut between the ribs, seals off the lobe's artery, vein and airway, lifts it out, and leaves a tube in the chest for a few days while the lung heals.
Why a whole lobe
The right lung has three lobes and the left has two. Each one has its own blood supply and airway, so it can be removed as a unit without damaging its neighbours. Taking the whole lobe removes the tumour with a wide rim of healthy tissue and the first glands the cancer would reach. That is why lobectomy has long been the standard operation for a cancer confined to the lung.
Who it does not suit
It is not offered when the cancer has spread to distant organs, because removing the lobe would not remove the disease. It is also not offered when breathing tests show the remaining lung could not cope. In that case the team looks at a smaller operation, or at focused radiotherapy instead.
This page describes a typical lobectomy. Your own operation may differ, and your surgeon will explain how.In the operating theatre
What actually happens while you are asleep?
Going to sleep
The anaesthetist puts you to sleep and places a special breathing tube that lets one lung be rested while the other keeps you going. The lung being operated on is allowed to fall soft so the surgeon has room to work.
Reaching the lung
You lie on your side. In keyhole surgery, the camera and instruments go in through two or three small cuts. In open surgery, one longer cut is made between the ribs and they are gently parted.
Freeing the lobe
The surgeon finds the artery, vein and airway that serve the lobe and seals each with staples. The fissure between lobes is divided, and the lobe is lifted out in a bag through one of the cuts.
Checking the glands
Lymph glands from the root of the lung and the middle of the chest are removed or sampled. These go to the pathologist and decide the final stage.
Closing
A chest drain is placed to let air and fluid out while the remaining lung expands. The cuts are closed and you are woken up in the recovery room.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistAfterwards
What do the first days after a lobectomy look like?
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Waking up
Most people spend the first night in a high-dependency or intensive care bed, not because something is wrong but so breathing, oxygen levels and pain can be watched closely. You will have a drip, a chest drain and often a small tube for urine.
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The first morning
You will be helped to sit out of bed and walk a few steps. This feels early. It matters because moving opens the lung, clears secretions and lowers the chance of a chest infection and clots.
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Breathing exercises and the drain
A physiotherapist teaches deep breathing and coughing with the wound supported. The drain is checked each day for air bubbles and fluid. It comes out once the air leak has stopped and the fluid has dropped.
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Going home
Usually within the first week, once the drain is out, pain is controlled by tablets and you are walking the corridor. A chest X-ray is taken before discharge.
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The pathology appointment
The report on the lobe and glands takes a week or two. This is the visit where the final stage is explained and any further treatment is discussed.
Being straight with you
What can go wrong, and what the team watches for
Most people have none of these. They are listed because knowing what to expect makes the ward less frightening.
Air leak
The cut surface of the lung can keep letting air into the chest for a few days. The drain handles it. Occasionally it lasts longer and you go home with a small valve on the tube.
Chest infection
The commonest problem, and the reason for the breathing exercises and early walking. Smokers and people with COPD are at higher risk, which is why stopping smoking beforehand matters.
An irregular heartbeat
A fast, fluttering heart rhythm can start in the first days after lung surgery. It is usually settled with medicines and passes. The monitor in the first night is partly there to catch it.
Bleeding or a return to theatre
Uncommon. The drain shows the team early if bleeding is more than expected. A blood transfusion or a second operation is needed only in a small minority.
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Commonly believed
What families ask about lobectomy, and what is actually true
"Losing a lobe means living on oxygen."
The breathing tests before surgery are done to make sure it does not. Most people who pass them go home without oxygen. Stairs feel harder for the first months and then ease as the remaining lung takes up the space and the work.
"The lung grows back."
It does not. The lobes that remain expand to fill the space, and the diaphragm and chest wall shift a little. Your breathing capacity settles at a new level, not the old one.
"If they found cancer in the glands, the operation was a failure."
The glands are removed precisely so they can be checked. Finding cancer there changes the stage and usually means chemotherapy or other treatment is added afterwards. It is information the team needed, not a sign the surgery went wrong.
"Keyhole surgery removes less than open surgery."
The same lobe and the same glands come out. Keyhole changes the size of the cuts and the recovery, not what is removed. Where the tumour is large or stuck to nearby structures, open surgery can still be the safer route.
What this page cannot tell you
What only your own team can answer
This page cannot tell you whether you need a lobectomy, whether keyhole or open is right for you, or how well it will work. Those answers come from your scans, your breathing tests and a surgeon who has examined you. Nothing here carries a prognosis, which means the likely course of the illness.
Questions worth asking before you consent
Ask which lobe is coming out and why the whole lobe rather than a segment. Ask whether keyhole or open is planned, and what would make the surgeon switch during the operation. Ask which glands will be sampled. Ask what your breathing tests predict for after surgery, and how many days the team expects you to be in hospital.
What to bring on the day
Every scan disc and report, your breathing test printout, a list of your medicines, and the family member who will be making decisions with you. Do not stop or change any medicine on your own. The surgeon and anaesthetist will tell you exactly what to do with each one.
If you have a report you do not understand, call the helpline. Someone will read it with you.Questions we are asked
Common questions about lobectomy
How long does a lobectomy take?
Usually a few hours from going to sleep to waking up, though the time in theatre varies with the position of the tumour, scarring from old infections, and whether it is keyhole or open. Your family will be told roughly when to expect news, and a long wait does not by itself mean something has gone wrong.
How long will I be in hospital?
Most people go home within the first week. The main thing that decides it is the chest drain: it comes out once the air leak has stopped and the fluid has dropped. A longer air leak or a chest infection adds days. Ask your surgeon what they expect for you.
Will the pain be bad?
There will be pain, especially when you cough and breathe deeply, and it is controlled rather than removed. Keyhole cuts hurt less than an open cut. A nerve block or a fine tube in the back is often used in the first days, then tablets. Tell the nurses early if pain is stopping you breathing deeply.
What is the chest drain for and does removing it hurt?
It lets air and fluid out of the space where the lobe was, so the remaining lung can expand. Taking it out takes a few seconds. You breathe in and hold, the tube is pulled and the hole is closed with a stitch. It is a strange feeling more than a painful one.
Will I be short of breath afterwards?
In the first weeks, yes, especially on stairs. The breathing tests before surgery predict what you will be left with, and the team would not offer the operation if the numbers said you could not cope. Breathing exercises and daily walking bring most people back to their usual activities over the following months.
When will I know the final stage?
When the pathology report on the lobe and glands is ready, usually a week or two after surgery. That report gives the exact size, the margin, and whether any glands were involved. It is the report the tumour board uses to decide whether chemotherapy or other treatment should follow.
When can I go back to work and drive?
Desk work is often possible within a few weeks of keyhole surgery, longer after an open cut or for heavy work. Driving waits until you can brake hard and turn without pain, and until any strong painkillers have stopped. Your surgeon will give you a date at the first follow-up.
Is a lobectomy covered by Aarogyasri or my insurance?
Usually yes, when it is part of an approved cancer treatment plan. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted at CION, and most cashless insurers are empanelled. Cover for keyhole charges varies between schemes, so call the helpline with your card details and we will check before you travel.
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for lung cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Surgery for lung cancer
- American Cancer Society — Surgery for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- NHS — Lung cancer: treatment
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Lung Cancer Surgery: What Your Options AreWhere lobectomy sits among the other operationsVATS vs Open Lung SurgeryKeyhole or open, and what changesThe Chest Drain After Lung SurgeryThe tube that decides when you go homeRecovery Timeline After Lung SurgeryWeek by week, from the ward to normal lifeThe Day of the OperationWhat happens from arrival to the recovery room
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Been told you need a lobectomy?
Send us your CT report and biopsy result, or call the helpline. A surgical oncologist will explain what is planned and what to expect. One helpline serves every CION centre.