title: Heterogeneous survival between stage IIA and stage IIIA colon cancer when different numbers of lymph nodes are harvested.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aim to compare the prognosis between patients with stage IIA and stage IIIA colon cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed patients with stage IIA or stage IIIA colon cancer based on data from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Survival data were generated as Kaplan-Meier curves and were compared by log-rank tests. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 43 379 patients (38 784 stage IIA and 4595 stage IIIA) were included from the SEER database. A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference between patients with stage IIA and IIIA colon cancer (P = 0.547). In the subgroup of patients with number of lymph nodes harvested (LNH) ≥12, a multivariate analysis showed that compared with stage IIA patients, stage IIIA patients were more likely to have a poorer cancer-specific survival (CSS) (hazard ratio (HR) 1.252, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.095-1.431, P = 0.001). In the subgroup of patients with LNH <12, a multivariate analysis showed that compared with stage IIA patients, stage IIIA patients were more likely to have a better CSS (HR 0.820, 95% CI 0.731-0.919, P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with stage IIA colon cancer had a CSS comparable with that of patients with stage IIIA disease. When adequate lymph nodes were retrieved (LNH ≥12), stage IIA patients had a greater CSS than stage IIIA patients. On the contrary, when inadequate lymph nodes were retrieved (LNH <12), stage IIA patients had a poorer CSS than stage IIIA patients.
authors: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
authors: Ben
authors: B
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Feng
authors: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
authors: Mengdong
authors: M
authors: Ni
authors: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
authors: Chen
authors: C
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
authors: Guoxiang
authors: G
authors: Cai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018426:SEER Program; D015996:Survival Rate; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: colon cancer; lymph node; stage IIA
  ; stage IIIA
  ; survival