Table 3.

Stage-stratified association between the number of lymph nodes examined and survival.

	OS (Adjusted)		RFS (Adjusted)
	HR [95% CI]	P	HR [95% CI]
	pN0, n=435; 162 deaths, 188 recurrences
Stations
Mediastinal, 2 – 9	1.01 [0.99 – 1.03]	0.5	1 [0.98 – 1.02]	0.95
	1 [0.99 – 1.03]	0.57	1 [0.98 – 1.02]	0.99
Hilar, 10	1.03 [0.96 – 1.11]	0.45	1.04 [0.97 – 1.11]	0.28
	1.07 [0.99 – 1.15]	0.095	1.06 [0.99 – 1.14]	0.11
Non-hilar N1, 11 – 14	0.96 [0.91–1.01]	0.098	0.97 [0.92 – 1.01]	0.17
	0.95 [0.90 – 1.01]	0.092	0.97 [0.92 – 1.01]	0.15
Non-hilar N1, ≥4 nodes*	0.71 [0.51–1.0]	0.053	0.8 [0.58–1.09]	0.15
	0.68 [0.48–0.96]	0.029	0.78 [0.57–1.07]	0.13
N1, 10 – 14	0.97 [0.93 – 1.01]	0.099	0.98 [0.94 – 1.01]	0.22
	0.97 [0.94 – 1.02]	0.022	0.98 [0.95 – 1.02]	0.36
All, 2 – 14	0.99 [0.98 – 1.01]	0.83	0.99 [0.98 – 1.01]	0.61
	1 [0.98 – 1.02]	0.89	1 [0.98 – 1.01]	0.66
	pN1, n= 60;39 deaths, 45 recurrences
Stations
Mediastinal, 2 – 9	0.95 [0.90 – 0.99]	0.035	0.94 [0.90 – 0.99]	0.015
	0.95 [0.9 – 0.99]	0.044	0.94 [0.90 – 0.99]	0.015
Hilar, 10	0.98 [0.87 – 1.11]	0.77	0.94 [0.82 – 1.07]	0.34
	0.98 [0.85 – 1.13]	0.76	0.94 [0.81 – 1.09]	0.39
Non-hilar N1, 11 – 14	0.98 [0.93 – 1.04]	0.5	0.97 [0.91 – 1.03]	0.33
	0.99 [0.93 – 1.05]	0.63	0.96 [0.9 – 1.03]	0.28
N1, 10 – 14	0.97 [0.92 – 1.03]	0.33	0.95 [0.89 – 1.01]	0.13
	0.98 [0.92 – 1.04]	0.43	0.94 [0.88 – 1.01]	0.1
All, 2 –14	0.97 [0.94 – 1.0]	0.055	0.96 [0.93 – 0.99]	0.015
	0.97 [0.94 – 1.0]	0.074	0.95 [0.92 – 0.99]	0.012

Primary analysis for number of lymph nodes is unadjusted; secondary analysis adjusts for age, sex, performance status and T-stage.

^*vs. non-hilar N1 with <4 nodes (below median).