[Do clinical and non-specific biological data influence staging?]

Recent improvements in imaging technics have led many physicians to propose an extensive work-up in non small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) without clear impact on the therapeutic decisions. In fact, it appears that patients with operable disease (stage I, II NSCLC) do not clearly benefit of such complete assessment in absence of symptoms. In the same way, patients with established metastatic disease (stage IV NSCLC) do not require an extensive work-up except when the evidence of a metastatic lesion has a clear specific impact. On the other hand, in case of locally advanced disease (stage III NSCLC), the decision of an aggressive therapeutic approach including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy justify a complete assessment in order to control the lack of distant metastases.