Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tim e-of-flight im aging m ass spectrom etry (MALDI-TOF-IMS ) has been a classical technique for studying proteom ics in present and a tool for analyzing the distribution of proteins and sm all m olecules w ithin biological tissue sections. MALDI-TOF-IMS can analyze m ultiple unknow n com pounds in biological tissue sections sim ultaneously through a single m ea-surem ent w hich can obtain m olecule im aging of the tissue w hile m aintaining the integrity of cellular and m olecules in tissue. In recent years, im aging m ass spectrom etry technique develops relatively quickly in all biom edical dom ain. T his paper based on the relevant data and review s the present developing level of MALDI-TOF-IMS, the principle of im aging m ass spectrom etry, m ethology and the prospect in foren-sic pathology.

Systematic lymph nodes dissection has been a standard procedure in lung cancer surgery, while the manipulation of mediastinal lymph nodes for early stage lung cancer remains controversial since surgeons have been weighing the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of lymph node dissection. With an increasing in early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients in recent years, there are more and more intensive studies especially focusing on the mediastinal lymph nodes dissection of clinical stage ⅠA lung cancer. In this review, the lymph nodes management of clinical stage ⅠA non-small cell lung cancer, especially systematic lymph nodes dissection and sampling as well as lobespecific lymph node dissection, are summarized.