Exploration of the optimal number of regional lymph nodes removed for resected N0 NSCLC patients: A population-based study

BackgroundThe aim of our study was to explore the optimal number of regional lymph nodes removed (LNRs) in resected N0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and identify potential risk factors.MethodsIncluded in this study were 55,024 N0 NSCLC patients between 2004 and 2015 based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER). All the patients were divided into No LNR group (57.8%), 1-3 LNRs group (8.1%) and ≥4 LNRs group (31.4%). Relevant clinical and patient parameters including overall survival (OS), lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS), gender, race, year of diagnosis, primary site, T stage, AJCC stage, laterality, histological type, lymphadenectomy, radiation, chemotherapy, age at diagnosis, insurance status, marital status, family income.ResultsKaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated LNRs had significantly better OS and LCSS than No LNRs in all the N0 NSCLC patients with different T stages (Logrank p