Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
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Selecting the appropriate treatment strategy for patients with locally advanced non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC) is of utmost importance to determine patient outcome. Previous studies have shown that nodal down-staging after induction therapy and definitive local irradiation in these patients better predict survival when combined with surgery. However, nodal restaging can be technically difficult. We investigated the role of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) in mediastinal restaging of patients who had completed induction cytotoxic therapy. ⋯ For patients presenting with locally advanced NSCLC who are surgical candidates after induction chemo- and/or radiotherapy, TBNA should be considered as the initial procedure of choice for restaging of the mediastinum.