Lobe-Specific Mediastinal Nodal Dissection Is Sufficient During Lobectomy by Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery or Thoracotomy for Early-Stage Lung Cancer

Mediastinal N2 metastases follow predictable lobe-specific patterns in patients with negative preoperative CT scans and PET scans. Lobe-specific N2 nodal evaluation results in a recurrence rate similar to that of complete mediastinal evaluation. Lobe-specific mediastinal nodal evaluation appears acceptable in patients with early-stage NSCLC.