[Surgery for bronchial carcinoma with mediastinal lymph node involvement]

Or the 3000 patients analyzed in the prospective bronchial carcinoma field study, 1086 were operated between 1984 and 1989. Complete systematic mediastinal lymphadenectomy was performed in 661 patients to assess the PTNM stage as exactly as possible, and to improve prognosis. Lymphadenectomy removes all hylarand mediastinal lymph nodes. Although the operation is technically quite easy on the clearly structured right side, it is more difficult on the left side due to the aortic arch and its branches. The lymph nodes of the upper mediastinum of the left and right side can be completely dissected by mobilizing the aortic arch with the left subclavian artery. In contrast to what is frequently assumed, the histological findings indicate that there is no general pattern of metastatic spread in the lymph nodes. The metastases can leave out varying numbers of lymph nodes craniad as well as caudad. For this reason, the lymph nodes have to be completely resected to ensure a real R0-resection.