Recurrence after surgery in patients with NSCLC.

Surgery remains the only potentially curative modality for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and tissue availability is made possible. However, a proportion of lung cancer patients develop recurrence, even after curative resection. This review discusses the superiority of surgery, the reasons for recurrence, the timing and pattern of recurrence, the identification of factors related to recurrence, current provisions for treatment and perspectives about surgery for patients with NSCLC.