Surgery for stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer: the jury is still out!

Stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises a very heterogeneous group of locally advanced tumors for which optimal treatment strategies remain highly controversial although results of large randomized controlled trials are available (1). In general, recommended treatment for pathologically proven, clinical stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC consists of concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) (2). However, the prognosis for this patient group remains poor (3). The role of surgery in the multimodality setting is intensively debated and different treatment recommendations have been proposed.