<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between the
lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological features in
patients with clinical stage T1a
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>
METHODS</b>Clinicopathological data of a total of 418
patients who underwent lobectomy and systematic
lymph node dissection were retrospectively analyzed.
Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between
lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological features.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>
Lymph node metastasis was observed in 25
patients. There were 122
patients who were diagnosed as ground
glass opacity with no
lymph node metastasis. 399
patients had subcarinal
dissection, among them 7
patients were found to have
lymph node metastasis. Univariate
analysis showed that
gender,
smoking history, diameter of
lymph node, ground
glass opacity (GGO), differentiation of the
tumor and
tumor site were the factors affecting
lymph node metastasis (all P < 0.05).
Logistic regression analysis showed that diameter of
lymph node, differentiation of the
tumor and the site of lesion were independent
risk factors for
lymph node metastasis of NSCLC.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>
Tumor in the left
lung, poor differentiation, and diameter of
lymph nodes ≥ 1 cm on the preoperative CT image are independent
risk factors for
lymph node metastasis of NSCLC, hence we should pay
attention before
surgery and systematic
lymph node dissection should be done. For
patients with poor differentiation and
lymph nodes ≥ 1 cm, subcarinal
lymph nodes dissection is recommended for the sake of higher possibility of
lymph node metastasis. For
patients with ground
glass opacity ≤ 2 cm, the
lymph node metastasis is extremely rare, therefore, selective
lymph node dissection is reconmmended.</p>