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Published in: Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 6/2018

01-06-2018 | Original Article

What Is the Minimum Number of Examined Lymph Nodes After Neoadjuvant Therapy in Rectal Cancer?

Authors: Peng Gao, Yongxi Song, Yuchong Yang, Shan Zhao, Yu Sun, Jingxu Sun, Xiaowan Chen, Zhenning Wang

Published in: Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery | Issue 6/2018

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Abstract

Background

To date, no guidelines have standardized the number of examined lymph nodes (eLNs) after neoadjuvant treatment. This study investigated the minimum number of eLNs required for patients with rectal cancer (RC) who received neoadjuvant treatment.

Material and Methods

This study was based on data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare-linked database. We included 2173 patients with RC who received neoadjuvant therapy. Restricted cubic spline was used to analyze the association between eLNs and lymph node metastasis (LNM).

Results

The number of eLNs was an independent predictive factor for the presence of LNM (odds ratio 1.033; 95% confidence interval 1.020–1.046; P < 0.001). When the number of eLN ≤ 16, 10 and 11 eLNs had the highest rates of positive LNM. Analysis of the restricted cubic spline method found that when number of eLNs was < 10, the LNM rate increased rapidly, but this increase was not so obviously when there were > 10 eLNs.

Conclusions

Among RC patients who receive neoadjuvant therapy, the minimum number of eLNs may be 10 to ensure pathological quality.
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Metadata
Title
What Is the Minimum Number of Examined Lymph Nodes After Neoadjuvant Therapy in Rectal Cancer?
Authors
Peng Gao
Yongxi Song
Yuchong Yang
Shan Zhao
Yu Sun
Jingxu Sun
Xiaowan Chen
Zhenning Wang
Publication date
01-06-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery / Issue 6/2018
Print ISSN: 1091-255X
Electronic ISSN: 1873-4626
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-018-3717-x

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