Management of stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer: role of surgery

Abstract

The present role of surgery Controversy has long surrounded the indication of surgical resection as a treatment modality for stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Stage IIIA disease tends to be neither as clearly resectable as earlier stages of NSCLC, nor has it reached the point of distant metastasis in which resection has historically been rarely considered (1). As defined by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system, IIIA NSCLC includes T3N1M0, T4N0M0, T4N1M0, T1N2M0, and T2N2M0 disease (1). The variability in treatment decision-making may result from the inclusion of a vastly heterogenous population of disease. Management of N2 disease, which is defined as ipsilateral mediastinal nodal involvement,