For lung cancer, Lymph Node staging is of paramount importance for the treatment planning process and prognosis.

Lymph Nodes in the chest are oval shaped organs that are linked with lymphatic vessels that carry fluid and cells from a part of the lung that it drains.

These lymph nodes tend to get larger when they carry abnormal cells or bacteria that could indicate an infection or inflammation or in some cases cancer.

This if there is a suspicion for lung cancer then sampling the lymph nodes in the chest may aide in its staging.