Comparison of therapeutic effects between lymphatic chemotherapy and regional extended release chemo-therapy for rectal cancer lymph node metastasis

Abstract

Objective To compare the treatment effects between lymphatic chemotherapy and regional extended release chemotherapy (RERC) for rectal cancer lymph node metastasis. Methods The lymph nodes at or beside colon (first station), beside (second station) and at the root of mesentery blood vessel (third station) of the patients with rectal cancer in control group (20 cases), lymphatic chemotherapy group (20 cases) and RERC group (20 cases) were removed to compare proliferation index (PI), apoptotic index (AI) and AL/PI of cancer cells in the lymph nodes. Results The PI, AI, and AI/PI of cancer cells in correspondent lymph nodes were not statistically different between lymphatic chemotherapy group and the other 2 groups (F=4.973-7.394, 5.372-8.694, 4.527-5.436, P<0.05; t=3.128-7.688, 3.388-9.615, 6.518-13.180, P<0.05). The PI, AI, and AI/PI of cancer cells in the first and second station lymph nodes in RERC group were significantly different from those in control group (t=5.103, 4.927; 6.938, 6.450; 8.839, 9.021; P<0.05), and from those in the third station lymph nodes in RERC group (F=6.572, 8.964, 5.845, P<0.05; t=3.505, 3.353; 5.397, 4.701; 9.039, 8.629; P<0.05). Sorted by the treatment effects for cancer cells in lymph nodes, the first is each station of the lymphatic chemotherapy group, followed by the first and second station of the RERC group, and then the third station of the RERC group which was almost equal to any station of the control group. Conclusion Lymphatic chemotherapy is better than RERC in the treatment of rectal lymph node metastasis in the aspect of scale and degree. Key words: Rectal cancer; Lymphatic chemotherapy