title: Effects of chemoradiotherapy on lymph nodes in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma: evaluation of numbers and sizes of retrieved lymph nodes inside and outside the radiation field.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) decreases the number of retrieved lymph nodes (LNs) in rectal cancer. LNs inside the irradiation field are affected by CRT, whereas those outside the irradiation field are affected only by concurrent chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort comprised of 210 patients with clinical stage II/III rectal adenocarcinoma. One hundred and eight received surgery alone (S group), and 102 received preoperative CRT (40 or 45 Gy) with concurrent oral UFT or S-1 uracil/tegafur or S-1 (CRT group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of LNs inside the irradiation field was significantly smaller in the CRT group (4 ± 4) than in the S group (6 ± 6, p<0.01), but the number of LNs outside the irradiation field did not differ (5 ± 4 in both groups). The longest diameters of LNs in the S group were significantly smaller than those of the CRT group both inside and outside the irradiation fields (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effects of CRT on LNs in patients with rectal adenocarcinoma differed inside and outside the radiation field.
authors: Department of Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Kazutake
authors: K
authors: Okada
authors: Department of Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan sadahiro@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp.
authors: Sotaro
authors: S
authors: Sadahiro
authors: Department of Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Toshiyuki
authors: T
authors: Suzuki
authors: Department of Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Tanaka
authors: Department of Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Gota
authors: G
authors: Saito
authors: Department of Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Akemi
authors: A
authors: Kamijo
authors: Department of Radiology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Akiba
authors: Department of Radiology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors: Shuichi
authors: S
authors: Kawada
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D000368:Aged; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Rectal cancer; chemoradiotherapy; lymph nodes; radiotherapy