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Educational Articles
Lobe-Specific Variability in Postoperative Pulmonary Function in Lung Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Analysis and Comparison With Traditional Predictive Models
January 2026
Authors: Yeong Jeong Jeon, Sumin Shin, Sunga Kong, Seongwoo Yang, Jong Ho Cho, Hong Kwan Kim, Young Mog Shim, Danbee Kang, Hye Yun Park
Comment by Mark Lavercombe: International guidelines for the pre-operative evaluation of a patient being considered for surgical resection of lung cancer recommend prediction of postoperative lung function. In this cohort of 419 patients who underwent lobectomy, the authors monitored lung function post-operatively at two weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months, as well as collecting data on peri-operative complications, various other clinical measures, and levels of moderate or vigorous activity. By stratifying patients by whether they reached their predicted post-operative lung function at six months, they were then able to perform logistic regression to determine factors associated with non-recovery. Right upper lobectomy was associated with non-recovery of FEV1 and DLCO, with decreased physical activity at two weeks also associated with non-recovery of DLCO. Lower predicted post-operative FEV1 and DLCO was associated with higher risk of complications.
Medical Education Editor for Respirology
Dr Mark Lavercombe was appointed in this specialist editor role in 2021 to further expand and strengthen Respirology’s contribution to medical education.
Located in Melbourne, Australia, he works as a clinician in respiratory health and sleep disorders at Western Health and is affiliated with The University of Melbourne as a distinguished expert in medical education.
He became a member of our Editorial Board in 2016 with the responsibility of selecting new Respirology publications with educational value, which has grown into a curated article selection featured on this page, as a benefit to APSR members.
Dr Lavercombe also authors a column in Respirology on his most recent choices and their specific value to continued medical education for our readers around the world.
