Define relative incomplete resection by highest mediastinal lymph node metastasis for non-small cell lung cancers: Rationale based on prognosis analysis

Involvement of the highest mediastinal lymph nodes is highly predictive of poor prognosis and indicates an advanced stage of the disease. Therefore, it may be appropriate to assign R1/R2 or L4 as criterion for defining RIR or CR cases in surgical NSCLC cases.