title: Improved lymph node harvest from resected colon cancer specimens did not cause upstaging from TNM stage II to III.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of lymph nodes retrieved and examined from a resected colon cancer specimen may be crucial for correct staging. We examined if efforts to increase the lymph node harvest to more than 12 lymph nodes per specimen would upstage some patients from TNM stage II to III.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hospitals compared results from 2000 with those of 2007 in 421 resected patients with stage II and III colon cancer. Hospital A endeavored to improve the surgical procedure while the pathologists enhanced the quality of lymph node sampling. Hospital B did not make any marked changes, while hospital C introduced the GEWF lymph node solvent (glacial acetic acid, ethanol, distilled water, and formaldehyde) in their pathology method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2000, 12 or more lymph nodes were harvested in 39.6, 45.0, and 21.1% of the specimens from the three hospitals, while the figures for 2007 were 85.7, 42.0, and 90.3%, respectively. The significant increase in lymph node harvest in two of the hospitals in 2007 compared to 2000 (p < 0.001) did not affect the share of patients with stage III in 2007 (38.7%) compared to 2000 (44.1%) (p = 0.260). The number of positive lymph nodes and the lymph node ratio (LNR) decreased from 2000 to 2007. A lymph node yield of 12 or more was not associated with an increased probability of positive lymph nodes in a multivariable logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More radical surgery and dedicated pathologists and the use of the GEWF solvent significantly increased the lymph node yield but did not upstage patients from TNM stage II to III.
authors: Department of Surgery, Haraldsplass Deaconal Hospital, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 6165, 5892, Bergen, Norway.
authors: Kristian
authors: K
authors: Storli
authors: Karl
authors: K
authors: Søndenaa
authors: Bjørg
authors: B
authors: Furnes
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Leh
authors: Idunn
authors: I
authors: Nesvik
authors: Tore
authors: T
authors: Bru
authors: Einar
authors: E
authors: Gudlaugsson
authors: Ida
authors: I
authors: Bukholm
authors: Solveig
authors: S
authors: Norheim-Andersen
authors: Geir
authors: G
authors: Eide
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult