Sublobar resection (segmentectomy or wedge resection) has not historically been the strategy of choice for treating lung cancer and is performed only as a compromise for patients with early-stage lung cancer accompanied by poor lung function. Although some studies have advocated higher rates of local recurrence and a poorer prognosis after sublobar resection than after lobectomy, most others have found promising outcomes after sublobar resection in selected patients. Yet even now, when early-stage small lung cancers are being detected with increasing frequency, sublobar resection has yet to become the treatment of choice. This review summarizes surgical outcomes of sublobar resection compared with lobectomy in the literature. Current evidence indicates that radical sublobar resection should be considered as an alternative for cT1N0 lung cancer of < or = 2 cm, even in low-risk patients. A foundation is thus established for starting a new series of randomized controlled trials, which could bring about revolutionary changes to surgery for lung cancer in the era of early detection.