This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Shilajit Ghosh Joel Dunning Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ghosh, S. Articles by Dunning, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ghosh, S. Articles by Dunning, J. Related Collections Education Lung - cancer

Should all patients with non-small cell lung cancer who are surgical candidates have cervical mediastinoscopy preoperatively?

^a Department of Thoracic Surgery, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK
^b Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK

*Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +44-780-1548122.

E-mail address: joeldunning{at}doctors.org.uk (J. Dunning).

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed is whether all potential surgical candidates with non-small cell lung cancer should have cervical mediastinoscopy pre-operatively. Two hundred and forty-one papers were found using the reported search, of which 8 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results, and study weaknesses were tabulated. We conclude that patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer who have had a negative mediastinal CT scan should all undergo mediastinoscopy. The number needed to treat with mediastinoscopy to prevent an unnecessary thoracotomy is around 5–15 patients. Exceptions to this may be patients with a T1 tumour, patients with a small peripheral tumour or patients who have had a negative PET scan.

Key Words: Evidence-based medicine; Thoracic surgery; Mediastinoscopy; Non-small cell lung carcinoma; Staging

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. De Leyn, D. Lardinois, P. E. Van Schil, R. Rami-Porta, B. Passlick, M. Zielinski, D. A. Waller, T. Lerut, and W. Weder ESTS guidelines for preoperative lymph node staging for non-small cell lung cancer Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., July 1, 2007; 32(1): 1 - 8. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]