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Lung Cancer

“Unresectable” Lung Cancer: What Does It Mean?

Lauren Smith, MAMera Goodman, MD, FAAP
Written by Lauren Smith, MA | Reviewed by Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP
Updated on August 6, 2025
Featuring Stefan Balan, MD, EMBAReviewed by Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP | August 6, 2025

If you catch lung cancer at an early stage, you can often treat it with surgery. This is true for both major categories of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. However, some patients are not good candidates for surgery because they have unresectable lung cancer.

No matter what stage of lung cancer you have, your treatment team will find the appropriate therapy. Learn more about treatment for non-small cell lung cancer by stage.

References

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Lauren Smith, MA
Written by:
Lauren Smith, MA
Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.
Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician. Prior to practicing medicine, she worked as a management consultant.

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