RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the surgical therapeutic strategy and prognostic factors for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mediastinal lymph node metastasis (N2).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The survival rate of 117 patients with N2 NSCLC treated surgically from January 1999 to May 2003 were analyzed. There were 88 male cases and 29 female cases, aged from 29 to 79 years. The procedure of operation (lobectomy, pneumonectomy and palliative resection), histological classification (squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, mixed carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma and others), T primary tumor status, and adjuvant therapy were analyzed to determine their impact on the 5-year survival rate.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median survival time was 22 months, and the over-all 3- and 5-year survival rate was 28.1% and 19.0%. Survival was higher in patients with lobectomy than with palliative resection, with T1 and T2 than with T4. The 5-year survival rate had no deference in age, sex and different histological classification. The 5-year survival rates of lobectomy and pneumonectomy (22.2% and 25.0% respectively) was higher than palliative resection (9.1%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Surgical procedures (especially lobectomy) is the best choice for N2 NSCLC patients with T1 or T2. But it can not prolong T4 patients' life significantly.</p>