Pathological nodal staging score for rectal cancer patients treated with radical surgery with or without neoadjuvant therapy: a postoperative decision tool

摘要

BackgroundLymph node status can predict the prognosis of patients with rectal cancer treated with surgery. Thus, we sought to establish a standard for the minimum number of lymph nodes (LNs) examined in patients with rectal cancer by evaluating the probability that pathologically negative LNs prove positive during surgery.