What’s reasonable wait time for surgery for NSCLC Adenocarcinoma?

Posted by dreams @dreams, Feb 2 9:43am

My husband’s Lung biopsy indicated he has NSCLC Adenocarcinoma Stage 1, size .3 x .2 x .1 CM on Jan 16. We met with surgeon on January 26, 2026. A RAT upper left lobectomy is scheduled for Feb 24. We are wondering if that is a reasonable time frame to get in for surgery. Thank you all for sharing your experience.

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What's the likelihood it will get worse in that amount of time? Seems like they are removing a lot of lung for what looks like a small spot, but what do I know. Also looks like the surgeon has a full schedule or the necessary operating suite is booked up.

I was in need of Mohs surgery. The earliest here was mid March, 2026. I shopped around and had it done before Christmas.

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@dreams it usually takes some time to get on a surgical calendar. that said, I agree with @bajjerfan that a lobectomy seems aggressive for a stage 1 tumor. did the surgeon/oncologist explain why removing the entire lobe was necessary v. a wedge resection? if not, I would use this time to get a second opinion.

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Profile picture for mamajite @mamajite

@dreams it usually takes some time to get on a surgical calendar. that said, I agree with @bajjerfan that a lobectomy seems aggressive for a stage 1 tumor. did the surgeon/oncologist explain why removing the entire lobe was necessary v. a wedge resection? if not, I would use this time to get a second opinion.

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@mamajite

He said upper left meaning a partial. I don't know why you would need to remove even that much lung for a small area.

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Thank you for your comments already. We made a big mistake on the size of his tumor. I accidentally typed the biopsy sample size. The actual size of the nodule is 1.4 x 1.5 x 2.3 cm in the left upper lobe. The surgeon told us there is only one robot assisted theater available for his surgery at our hospital. We are in Wisconsin. So sorry for my error.

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@dreams no worries - you have a lot on your mind. thank you for clarifying. are you and your husband interested in a second opinion, or trying to have surgery sooner at a different hospital?

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Profile picture for mamajite @mamajite

@dreams no worries - you have a lot on your mind. thank you for clarifying. are you and your husband interested in a second opinion, or trying to have surgery sooner at a different hospital?

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@mamajite think we are kind of stuck with this Hospital, to try to go anywhere else. It would be longer wait for surgery. but might want to go somewhere else after surgery.

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We considered referral to another provider. Just to get a consultation would be at least a two week wait, and then we would need to get a surgery date. So, we decided to get the surgery done locally. Thank you.

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Profile picture for dreams @dreams

We considered referral to another provider. Just to get a consultation would be at least a two week wait, and then we would need to get a surgery date. So, we decided to get the surgery done locally. Thank you.

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@dreams, It sounds like you have faith in your husband's team, and that's great. Having a procedure like this locally, certainly has its benefits. There's no place like home.
If they believed that waiting a month would put your husband at greater risk, they would have found a way to do the surgery on an emergency basis. So, take a breath, waiting the month doesn't seem unreasonable at all to me. It gives you both time to mentally process what's to come.
Do you both feel prepared for surgery? In case you haven't seen this discussion, it may have some tips that are helpful: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lobectomy-surgery-preparation/

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I was diagnosed in October 2022 and had a RLL in April 2023. Stage 1a, no lymph node involvement and no chemo nor anything other than scans every 6 months ( now every year) and have been NED so far.

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Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. We are so
Encouraged by your ongoing NED and hope you continue to stay cancer free!

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