Should the 7th Edition of the Lung Cancer Stage Classification System Change Treatment Algorithms in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer?

The perception that a stage change should lead to a change in management exists. The revision of the lung cancer staging system does not provide any direct information to indicate the superiority of one treatment approach over another. Assuming that overall prognosis of a subgroup is strongly linked to a specific treatment and that a particular outcome, therefore, warrants a change in treatment is not justified. Thus, making changes in management solely in response to upstaging or downstaging in the new stage classification system is not justified.