[Intraoperative lymph node staging in bronchogenic carcinoma surgery. Consensus report]

To define methods for lymph node staging and the absence of nodal involvement (pN0) during surgery for bronchogenic carcinoma (BC).

Review of previous definitions of the Bronchogenic Carcinoma Cooperation Group of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Chest Surgery (GCCB-S), and a comparison with the international literature; proposal of new definitions agreed upon by the GCCB-S.

Methods for intraoperative lymph node evaluation proposed are as follows: not performed; biopsy (biopsy or removal of nodes with no intention of sampling all nodal stations); sampling (removal of nodes of a pre-established number of nodal stations, including at least the paratracheal, subcarinal and hilar stations); systematic nodal dissection (SND) (excision of all nodes from stations on the operated side); extended nodal dissection (removal of contralateral pulmonary and mediastinal nodes as a complement to SND); and miscellaneous, for other forms of intraoperative staging. The proposed definition for pN0 is removal of at least six lymph nodes, pathology of all N1 locations, removal of lymph nodes from right superior and inferior paratracheal and subcarinal stations for right lung tumors, removal of subcarinal nodes for left lung tumors, removal of subaortic and anterior mediastinal nodes for tumors of the left upper lobe, and removal of paraesophageal and pulmonary ligament nodes for tumors of lower lobes.

The new definitions encompass the current forms of intraoperative evaluation of BC and avoid the inaccuracies of previous definitions from the GCCB-S.