Current studies on multimodal strategy for N2 non-small cell lung cancer are being high interest have drawn much attention. N2 lung cancer, however, is composed of is divided into several subgroups with that have different prognoses. The prognostic factors still ramain controversial.

Between January 1990 and June 1999, 180 patients with N2 lung cancer who underwent surgical resection were investigated, excluding 10 of these for surgical mortality. All patients underwent mediastinal lymph node dissection. 20 clinicopathologic factors were investigated by univariable and multivariable analyses to identify significant prognostic factors among resected N2 disease.

The overall 5-year survival rate was 20.6%. Multivariable analyses among overall patients revealed 3 significant prognostic factors:Age, Histologic type, Vascular invasion. Based on the result, 49 patients with both age more than 60 and pathologic Non-squamous cell showed a 5-year survival of 5.0%, whereas 37 patients with neither of the factors showed a 5-year survival of 56.6%(p<0.001). And 12 patients with both vascular invasion and pathologic Non-squamous cell showed a 5-year survival of 11.9%, whereas 67 patients with neither of the factors showed a 5-year survival of 33.6%(p=0.01).

The prognosis of surgically resected N2 disease varies according to the 2 significant prognosis factors. Tumor size may be an additional influencing factor in the prognosis of N2 disease.