Perioperative considerations in patients with non small cell lung cancer and metastases in mediastinal lymph nodes

Since the latest revision of the TNM system reclassified T3N0 tumours into the ⅡB stage, N2 lesions became the major determinant of the ⅢA stage. Concerning the minority of patients with T3N1 tumours in this stage,

Perioperative considerations in patients with non small cell lung cancer and metastases in mediastinal lymph nodes

Since the latest revision of the TNM system reclassified T3N0 tumours into the Ⅱ B stage, N2 lesions became the major determinant of the Ⅲ A stage. Concerning the minority of patients with T3N1 tumours in this stage, their prognosis depends on characteristic of T3 tumours: loealised chest wall invasion is associated with more favourable prognosis compared to those T3 tumours that either directly invade the mediastinum, or have the proximal propagation < 2 cm from the central carina.