Effect of Lymph Node Retrieval and Ratio on the Long-Term Survival and Recurrence of Colon Cancer.

Abstract

To evaluate the association of lymph node retrieval and ratio with the prognosis of colon cancer. Acohort study. Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK, from October 2014 to March 2015. Data was collected for adult patients who were diagnosed with primary adenocarcinoma of colon between 2003 and 2008. The follow-up period was 5-year. The data was collected from regional electronic colorectal cancer database. Kaplan-Meier graph was used to calculate and depict overall survival in different groups of patients. There were a total of 370 patients with colon cancer. For Dukes stages Aand B, there was no significant difference in median overall survival for patients with lymph node retrieval (< 12 nodes vs. > 12 nodes). For Dukes stage C (n=147), median survival for patients with lymph node retrieval < 12 nodes was 4 years vs. 4 years for patients with lymph node retrieval > 12 nodes (p = 0.85). Median survival for patients with lymph node ratio (LNR) < 0.125 was 4 years (range 1 - 11) vs. 3 years (range 0 - 11) for patients with LNR > 0.125 (p = 0.14). There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate based on lymph node retrieval (p = 0.87) and LNR (p = 0.97). Lymph node retrieval > 12 and reduced LNR < 0.125 had no significant effect on long-term survival and recurrence of colon cancer.