Role of intrapulmonary lymph nodes in patients with NSCLC and visceral pleural invasion. The VPI 1314 multicenter registry study protocol

• Published in: PloS one 2023-05, Vol.18 (5), p.e0285184-e0285184
• Main Authors: Minervini, Fabrizio, Kestenholz, Peter, Bertoglio, Pietro, Li, Allen, Nilius, Henning
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; Cancer therapies; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology; Care and treatment; Chemotherapy; Comorbidity; Confidence intervals; Decision making; Health aspects; Histology; Humans; Immunotherapy; Length of stay; Lung - pathology; Lung cancer; Lung cancer, Non-small cell; Lung diseases; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Lymph Node Excision; Lymph nodes; Lymph Nodes - pathology; Lymphatic Metastasis - pathology; Lymphatic system; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metastases; Metastasis; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Mutation; Neoplasm Staging; Non-small cell lung carcinoma; Patient outcomes; Patients; Pneumonectomy; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Radiation; Registries; Regression analysis; Retrospective Studies; Sample size; Small cell lung carcinoma; Study Protocol; Subgroups; Surgeons; Surgery; Survival analysis; Thoracic surgery; Thorax
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285184

In the lung cancer classification (TNM), the involvement of thoracic lymph nodes is relevant from a diagnostic and prognostic point of view. Even if imaging modality could help in selecting patients who should undergo surgery, a systematic lymph node dissection during lung surgery is mandatory to identify the subgroup of patients who can benefit from an adjuvant treatment. Patients undergoing elective lobectomy/bilobectomy/segmentectomy) for non-small cell lung cancer and lymphadenectomy with lymph nodes station 10-11-12-13-14 sampling that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be recorded in a multicenter prospective database. The overall incidence of N1 patients (subclassified in: Hilar Lymph nodes, Lobar Lymph nodes and Sublobar Lymph nodes) will be examined as well as the incidence of visceral pleural invasion. The aim of this multicenter prospective study is to evaluate the incidence of intrapulmonary lymph nodes metastases and the possible relation with visceral pleural invasion. Identifying patients with lymph node station 13 and 14 metastases and/or a link between visceral pleural invasion and presence of micro/macro metastases in intrapulmonary lymph nodes may have an impact on decision-making process. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05596578.