Why is surgery preferable to targeted radiation?

I have had two lung cancer nodules removed by wedge resection. For the second I was also offered a choice of radiation. I went with the VAT surgery because they can cut and remove all the cancer, and one then also can run tests to see what it is which is very valuable. I had radiation for the next two. Radiation may seem easy but I developed radiation-induced pneumonitis so not without risk.
Options depend on location of cancer and lung conditions.

I had my first cancer removed surgically by taking out the lobe, then the second time it was removed by a wedge to minimize loosing too much lung tissue,I can’t have any more surgery due to poor lung function, I would prefer surgery over chemotherapy or radiation albeit the surgery is heavy, probably because of my age. I feel that all treatments have their pros and cons but it’s all we have for now however newer and better treatments are becoming more available for us, we have started living longer today than ever before, amen.🙏

@muffy, you can always call your doctor's office and ask to speak to his or her nurse. I forget questions so often that I now keep a list, which helps. When I still forget, I call the nurse. This has happened so often that Tammy and I are on a first-name basis, and I know she has two children. Sometimes, she knows the answer to my questions. The other times, she asks my oncologist and calls me back at the end of the day.

Using radiation is basically burning the targeted cells. (Don't ever use the word "burning" around a radiation tech!) After the initial fire, it leaves a smoldering fire that lasts for months, continuing to affect the area. In my case, targeted radiation to my brain did eliminate the cancer recurrence, but over 7 months later, I started to exhibit symptoms that turned out to be necrosis, i.e., tissue death. I'm still having a hard time walking.

Surgery is considered the gold standard to lung cancer treatment. It's possible they don't want or need to prescribe a treatment that is not warranted and are saving it in the event you do experience progression.

Another possibility is that your insurance company rejected the pre authorization. Do contact your doctor's nurse and see if you can get your question answered that way.

@muffyy, have you been able to ask your very valid question to your surgeon in the meantime? What did you learn?

Hi Colleen,
I haven't seen the surgeon yet. Her first available was in a month, now a little less than 2 weeks.
It's a long time to wait. I'm working on patience and living with uncertainty, not bad attributes to have to strengthen at any point in life, right?
It's not for sure that it's lung cancer, so I agree with Vic83 that it will be helpful to examine the tissue. What Vic83 and Mattew K said about radiation was eye opening to me.
Thanks all, for the kind answers.

Hi denzie- the pulmonologist said the surgeon might decide the surgery is too risky. Radiation would be the next option in that scenario. Insurance isn't in the picture yet. I'll find out more when I meet the surgeon.

@muffyy, The waiting can be one of the most difficult parts of the diagnosis process. We're used to taking action, and waiting can be difficult. It gives us time to compile questions, and to let the information sink in a bit. So, it's not always a bad thing.
Without a biopsy it's hard to know what you're treating. Many times, nodules are not cancer but are fungal or inflammation. Please let us know what you learn at your next appointment.

Hi all, (a month of waiting later) Good advice from @lls8000 about waiting and the difficulties and benefits.
I met the surgeon. she is confident and warm, exactly what I was hoping for. She gave me the options of waiting or doing radiation but said she didn't recommend them. She has a plan that sounds good to me. She can do a wedge resection, no problem. This is what the pulmonologist had thought might be impossible. So she'll do that. If the nodule is sticking to the aorta, a cardiac surgeon will come in to assist. If the lab says the nodule is cancerous, she'll cut out the segment or the maybe the whole LL lobe. She'll use a robot and a 3-d imaging system. It will be minimally invasive surgery. It doesn't sound as bad as it did at first. Now another month of waiting until surgery day- May 2. Thanks for reading and thanks for all the support.

This reads like a great plan and I'm so glad you like your surgeon.