title: [Application of fat clearance technique in pathologic staging for colon cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether the use of fat clearance technique improves the accuracy of staging for colon cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 2007 and December 2008, surgical specimens of 91 patients with colon cancer were procured. Between June 2007 and January 2008, routine technique for lymph node harvest including visualization and tactile sensation was used in 45 patients (conventional group), while lymph nodes of 46 patients between February 2008 and December 2008 were examined using fat clearance technique(fat clearance group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean of lymph nodes harvested was 32.7 using fat clearance technique, significantly higher than that(15.3) of the conventional group(P<0.01). The mean positive lymph nodes was 2.7 and 1.8 in the two groups, respectively, with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). There were more stage III( colon cancer in the postoperative staging than that in the preoperative staging using fat clearance technique (31 vs.19, P<0.05), while there was no difference in stage III( colon cancer between postoperative staging and preoperative staging using conventional method (21 vs.19, P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fat clearance technique significantly increases number of lymph node retrieval and positive nodes, therefore the accuracy of postoperative staging is improved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Ying-ru
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dong-ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yu-chao
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D055815:Young Adult