This retrospective study examined whether following intraoperative lymph node sampling guidelines influenced overall survival and nodal upstaging in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent lung resection in Denmark from 2012 to 2021. Using data from the Danish Lung Cancer Registry, researchers compared outcomes between patients whose surgeries adhered to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) lymph node sampling guidelines and those who did not. 
 
Among 6,615 patients, guideline adherence did not significantly affect overall survival or the likelihood of nodal upstaging. However, factors such as higher clinical T-stage, certain tumor histopathologies, younger age, open surgery, and the type of resection were associated with an increased chance of nodal upstaging. Overall, the findings suggest that strict adherence to NCCN lymph node sampling guidelines did not improve survival or alter nodal upstaging rates in this patient cohort.