Non-small cell lung cancer - Role of surgery for stages I-III

Survival following surgical resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has improved since the 1960s, although the 5-year survival rate remains lo w. This article provides an overview of the role of surgery for NSCLC stage s I-III, with a focus on optimizing long-term survival in those patients wi th resectable disease. Topics explored include diagnosis and staging, indic ations for resection, types of resection, and indications for adjuvant ther apy, A review of the literature indicates a clear survival advantage for co mplete resection, and is suggestive of an advantage for mediastinal lymph n ode dissection (vs lymph node sampling) and neoadjuvant therapy (vs adjuvan t therapy).