Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39979686›Full record

ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2025

The Impact of Preoperative Invasive Nodal Staging on Unexpected Mediastinal Upstaging in Early-Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Kian C Banks, Varada Sarovar, Angela Sun, Rachel K Wile, Katherine E Barnes, Jeffrey B Velotta

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Kian C BanksDivision of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco East Bay, Oakland, CA, USA.
Varada SarovarDivision of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Pleasanton, CA, USA.
Angela SunUniversity of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Rachel K WileUniversity of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Katherine E BarnesUniversity of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Jeffrey B VelottaUniversity of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA. Jeffrey.B.Velotta@kp.org.

Funding

Kaiser Permanente The Permanente Medical Group Delivery Science Gran
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPreoperative invasive nodal staging is standard of care for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Complications and delays in care are not negligible and diagnostic accuracy varies. In our system, invasive nodal staging is performed for clear radiographic indications (node > 1.0 cm short axis or standardized uptake value > 3.0, tumor > 4.0 cm). This study assessed whether unexpected mediastinal upstaging was less common in patients receiving preoperative invasive nodal staging.

methodsThis retrospective study evaluated nodal upstaging, defined as pathological N2 or IIIA+ disease, based on receipt or non-receipt of invasive nodal staging. Clinical stage I-II NSCLC patients who underwent resection (2009-2019) were identified from our cancer registry. Stage and preoperative nodal staging information were confirmed through chart review. Associations between patient characteristics, invasive nodal staging receipt, and clinical to pathological stage changes were analyzed.

resultsAmong 2576 patients, 18.7% (n = 481) underwent invasive nodal staging. After resection, 6.2% of all patients had nodal upstaging and 24.9% had TNM upstaging. Only 0.3% (n = 9) were upstaged to N2 and 0.5% (n = 13) were upstaged to IIIA+. Lack of preoperative nodal sampling was not associated with N2 or IIIA+ upstaging. Findings were consistent in subanalyses of patients with surgical specimens meeting Commission on Cancer nodal sampling criteria and with clinical IB+ disease.

conclusionsAlthough most patients did not undergo invasive nodal staging, <1% had unexpected N2 on surgical pathology. There was no association between lack of preoperative invasive nodal sampling and N2 nodal upstaging. Preoperative invasive nodal staging did not increase pathologic N2 nodal upstaging in early-stage NSCLC patients in our integrated health system.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungLung NeoplasmsLymph NodesAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansLymphatic MetastasisMaleMediastinumMiddle AgedNeoplasm InvasivenessNeoplasm StagingPreoperative CareEarly-stageEndobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)Invasive nodal stagingMediastinal nodal diseaseMediastinoscopyNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)Practice guidelinesStage changeUnexpected N2

Identifiers

PMID39979686
PMCPMC12049407

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.