title: Is lymph node count an ideal quality indicator for cancer care?
abstract: Although lymph node count has substantial appeal as a quality indicator because of the ease of measurement, the presence of variation in the population, the association with survival for many cancers, and the previous success of quality intervention programs, improvements in patient outcome by increasing lymph node counts have not yet been demonstrated. This article discusses potential pitfalls in the use of lymph node count as a quality indicator.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and the Keenan Research Centre at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. baxtern@smh.toronto.on.ca
authors.forename: Nancy N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Baxter
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care