Staging the mediastinum: what is current best practice?

Staging of the mediastinum has long been a part of essential best practice in lung cancer management. This review aims to provide an overview of important key issues, such as anatomical considerations from the 2009 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer lymph node map, as well as noninvasive and invasive staging techniques for the mediastinum. A suggested sequence of staging the mediastinum is provided, which is by no means prescriptive, but will evolve over time as more evidence is gathered regarding this important step in the clinical work-up of lung cancer patients.