pneumonectomy
noun
pneu·mo·nec·to·my
ˌnü-mə-ˈnek-tə-mē 
ˌnyü-
plural pneumonectomies
: excision of an entire lung or of one or more lobes of a lung
Examples of pneumonectomy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to doctors interviewed by NBC News — including a thoracic surgeon, a pulmonologist and a primary care physician — detaining a patient so soon after a pneumonectomy raises serious alarms from a medical perspective.
—
David Noriega, NBC news, 27 June 2025
Nogueira and her colleagues studied data available via the National Cancer Database for individuals 18 years or older who received a lobectomy or pneumonectomy for stages 1 to 3 lung cancer between 2004 and 2021.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
According to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Thoracic Diseases, the five-year survival rate of people who undergo lobectomy is double that of those who undergo pneumonectomy (31.5% vs. 15.6%, respectively)1515
How a person is treated after surgery also influences survival times.
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 22 Sep. 2023
Even so, pneumonectomy cannot be avoided in certain cases, particularly in people over 70 in whom the surgery offers a higher chance of cure.14
One study found that the 90-day mortality rate for pneumonectomy was 12.6% (or roughly one of every 12 surgeries).
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 22 Sep. 2023
This is especially true when comparing lobectomy to pneumonectomy.
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 22 Sep. 2023
The use of lobectomy (in which a lobe of a lung is removed) tends to afford longer survival times than a pneumonectomy (in which an entire lung is removed).
—Lynne Eldridge, Verywell Health, 15 Aug. 2023
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David Noriega, NBC news, 27 June 2025
Nogueira and her colleagues studied data available via the National Cancer Database for individuals 18 years or older who received a lobectomy or pneumonectomy for stages 1 to 3 lung cancer between 2004 and 2021.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
According to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Thoracic Diseases, the five-year survival rate of people who undergo lobectomy is double that of those who undergo pneumonectomy (31.5% vs. 15.6%, respectively)1515
How a person is treated after surgery also influences survival times.
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 22 Sep. 2023
Even so, pneumonectomy cannot be avoided in certain cases, particularly in people over 70 in whom the surgery offers a higher chance of cure.14
One study found that the 90-day mortality rate for pneumonectomy was 12.6% (or roughly one of every 12 surgeries).
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 22 Sep. 2023
This is especially true when comparing lobectomy to pneumonectomy.
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 22 Sep. 2023
The use of lobectomy (in which a lobe of a lung is removed) tends to afford longer survival times than a pneumonectomy (in which an entire lung is removed).
—Lynne Eldridge, Verywell Health, 15 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Pneumonectomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pneumonectomy. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pneumonectomy
noun
pneu·mo·nec·to·my
ˌn(y)ü-mə-ˈnek-tə-mē
plural pneumonectomies
: surgical excision of an entire lung or of one or more lobes of a lung
called also pneumectomy, pulmonectomy
compare segmental resectionLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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