Intraoperative molecular imaging—a bright navigator for thoracic surgeons in the era of limited resection

Lobectomy or greater pulmonary resection with complete mediastinal lymph nodes dissection is currently the standard surgical procedure for operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), regardless of tumor size or location (1). However, limited sublobar resection, either segmentectomy or partial resection, is sometimes considered for high-risk patients with small-sized NSCLC who are not suitable for standard resection because of compromised respiratory and/or cardiac function (2).