Factors affecting number of lymph nodes harvested and the impact of examining a minimum of 12 lymph nodes in stage I-III colorectal cancer patients: a retrospective single institution cohort study of 1167 consecutive patients

摘要

Background To identify factors affecting the harvest of lymph nodes (LNs) and to investigate the association between examining a minimum of 12 LNs and clinical outcomes in stage I-III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Methods The clinicopathologic features and the number of examined LNs for 1167 stage I-III CRC patients were analyzed to identify factors affecting the number of LNs harvested and the correlations between clinical outcomes and high harvests ( ≧ 12 LNs) and low harvests (Results A multivariate analysis showed that age ( P =?0.007), tumor size ( P =?0.030), and higher T stage ( P =?0.001) were independent factors affecting the examinations of LNs in colon cancer and that tumor size ( P =?0.015) was the only independent factor in rectal cancer. Patients with low harvests had poorer overall survival with stage II and stage III CRC (stage II: P Conclusions The factors influencing nodal harvest are multifactorial, and an adequate number of examined LNs ( ≧ 12) is associated with a survival benefit. Removal of at least 12 LNs will determine the lymph node status reliably.