I will answer this one more time. Cancer cells become genetically modified over time, and chemo doesn’t work anymore. If a persons body can tolerate it, surgery offers the best chance of long term cure. I am one year out from Stage 1B and just had my 3rd scan; the results were clean as can be. No chemo, no radiation.
My 83 year old brother was diagnosed at Stage 3B; he had surgery, radiation and chemo for a year. That was 11 years ago, he just came back from a week in Paris and 2 weeks skiing in France. He hated the side effects of his treatment and now he barely remembers the pain and has so much fun with his grandkids.
Of course removing a lung causes nerve pain. I took narcotics for 2 months, just at night, then switched to Gabapentin. But I was healthy enough to have heart surgery. Now I feel completely normal. I am 75, ready to go scuba diving.
I wish everyone would study what is best in the long run. I have watched several people die of lung cancer and no surgery is as bad as dying on lung cancer. We all have to die, I just want my death fast and pain free. To make that happen I go to the best Cancer Treatment Centers. I suck it up, stay home, and treat myself as well as possible. Right now I feel totally healthy, which is confirmed by my scans.
Mickeyfin

Sandra good for you, you are a fighter. The treatment plan sounds just right and similar to my brothers. He had the lobectomy first then radiation and chemo. Finally he let me know he had cancer so I stepped in as it is my area of expertise. He had gone to the closest hospital, not the best hospital. I connected with the Head of Oncology of the best hospital and set up the appointment. That Dr was great and my brother had his cancerous lymph node radiated and had 6 months of chemo. No fun but he fought as he had to and is now 10 years cancer free. You are doing the right things. I had all those tests too, to be sure I could tolerate the surgery. I drove 5 hours to get to UCLA, 2 weeks in hospital, and had to drive home alone. I drove 1.5 hours each day, no drug until I reached the hotel. Then stayed 2 nights, on drugs. Waited 10 hours after my last dose before getting on the road again.
Now I am fine, no evidence of disease after 14 months and repeated contrast CT scans.
I hope the best for you.
Mickeyfin

If a nodule hasn’t traveled, surgical removal is more effective and likely to result in cure. I am Stage 1B, had a lobectomy over a year ago and have a 90% chance of cure. I couldn’t get that with chemo
Mickeyfin

I experienced the surgery only and so grateful to have tested for the last 2 years and 2 months no evidence of the disease! Really grateful!

Recovery from the surgery is typically much shorter than the time to undergo chemo or radiation. The best surgery centers would probably use VATS (video assisted thoracic surgery) and the patient is minimally traumatized with 3-4 small incisions. The most uncomfortable aspect is the discomfort of the chest tube for drainage but that usually lasts for only two three days until the tube is pulled.