2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Posters)-EP07.04. Occult Lymph Node Metastasis Is Not a Favorable Factor for Resected NSCLC Patients

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Occult lymph node metastasis (OLNM), defined as the presence of lymph node metastasis that is not detected during clinical evaluations but is unexpectedly identified during pathology, has been the subject of conflicting data regarding its impact on survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This study aimed to explore the prognosis and predictive factors associated with OLNM in resected NSCLC patients.<br /><br />A total of 7,931 consecutive resected NSCLC patients between 1999 and 2018 were evaluated. The inclusion criteria included confirmed NSCLC patients who underwent surgery and systemic lymphadenectomy, while exclusion criteria comprised sublobar resection, N3 category, M1 category, positive surgical margin, adenocarcinoma in situ, neoadjuvant therapy, previous or concurrent other cancers, and age under 18 years.<br /><br />The analysis included 2,067 eligible cases, categorized into N0 group (1497 cases), occult N0 group (165 cases), evident N0 group (54 cases), occult N2 group (243 cases), and evident N2 group (108 cases). Survival analyses revealed that OLNM was not a prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS). The number of positive lymph nodes was found to determine the survival of patients with OLNM, and clinical tumor size was a strong predictive factor for OLNM.<br /><br />In conclusion, OLNM was not a rare occurrence in resected NSCLC patients, but it was not a favorable sign for patients with lymph node metastasis. The number of positive lymph nodes played a crucial role in determining patient survival with OLNM. Furthermore, clinical tumor size was identified as a strong predictive factor for OLNM. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the prognosis and predictive factors associated with OLNM in NSCLC patients.

Asset Subtitle

Jing-Sheng Cai

Meta Tag

Speaker Jing-Sheng Cai

Topic Early-Stage NSCLC: Progress in Pathology

Keywords

Occult lymph node metastasis

Non-small cell lung cancer

Prognosis

Predictive factors

Resected NSCLC patients

Overall survival

Disease-free survival

Positive lymph nodes

Clinical tumor size

Metastasis