R project software v4.1.1

Categorical variables were compared using the Pearson χ² test or Fisher's exact test. Normally distributed continuous variables are presented as the mean ± standard deviation (SD), and Student's t test was used for comparisons. For continuous variables that were not normally distributed, data are presented as the median (interquartile range [IQR]) and were compared by the Mann–Whitney U test between the groups. The test level between the two groups was set at α = 0.05 (bilateral), and a two‐sided p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Subgroup analyses were performed for the perioperative outcomes according to the number of LNs dissected and BMI ranges. R Project software (v4.1.1; http://www.R-project.org) was used for PSM, and SPSS software v25.0 (SPSS) was used for further data analysis.

To increase accuracy in between‐group comparisons, a 1:1 PSM analysis was applied to ensure an even distribution of confounders between two groups. R Project software (v4.1.1; http://www.R-project.org) was used to calculate the propensity score with a multivariate logistic regression model. The variables used to determine PSM were age, sex, BMI, smoking history, FEV1% predicted, ASA score, histology type, tumor size and pathological TNM (pTNM) stage, and the caliper size was selected as 0.01.