Assessing the prognostic impact of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer proposed definitions of complete, uncertain, and incomplete resection in non-small cell lung cancer surgery

•Controversy exists about the definition of complete resection in NSCLC surgery.•Inconsistency in the prognostic impact of incomplete resection complicates matters.•The IASLC proposed several criteria to define complete and incomplete resection.•A third category of uncertain resection was added.•IASLC definitions of complete, uncertain and incomplete resection predict survival.