Lymph Node Retrieval Following Neoadjuvant Therapy in Patients with Rectal Cancer: Does It Affect The Predictability of Neoadjuvant Rectal Cancer (NAR) Score?

Many colorectal resections do not meet the minimum of 12 lymph nodes (LNs) recommended by the American Joint Committee on Cancer for accurate staging of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting the number of the adequate nodal yield in colorectal specimens subject to routine pathological assessment. We have retrospectively analysed the data of 2319 curatively resected colorectal cancer patients in San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, between 1993 and 2017 (1259 colon cancer patients and 675 rectal cancer patients plus 385 rectal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant therapy). The factors influencing lymph node retrieval were subjected to uni- and multivariate analyses. Moreover, a survival analysis was carried out to verify the prognostic implications of nodal counts. The mean number of evaluated nodes was 24.08±11.4, 20.34±11.8, and 15.33±9.64 in surgically treated right-sided colon cancer, left-sided colon cancer, and rectal tumors, respectively. More than 12 lymph nodes were reported in surgical specimens in 1094 (86.9%) cases in the colon cohort and in 425 (63%) cases in the rectal cohort, and patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation were analysed separately. On univariate analysis of the colon cancer group, higher LNs counts were associated with female sex, right colon cancer, emergency surgery, pT3-T4 diseases, higher tumor size, and resected specimen length. On multivariate analysis right colon tumors, larger mean size of tumor, length of specimen, pT3-T4 disease, and female sex were found to significantly affect lymph node retrieval. Colon cancer patients with 12 or more lymph nodes removed had a significantly better long-term survival than those with 11 or fewer nodes (P=0.002, log-rank test). Rectal cancer patients with 12 or more lymph nodes removed approached but did not reach a statistically different survival (P=0.055, log-rank test). Multiple tumor and patients’ factors are associated with lymph node yield, but only the removal of at least 12 lymph nodes will reliably determine lymph node status.

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The prognostic impact of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on lymph node sampling in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer

Updates in Surgery ◽

10.1007/s13304-020-00841-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 72 (3) ◽

pp. 793-800 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Giovanni Li Destri ◽

Andrea Maugeri ◽

Alice Ramistella ◽

Gaetano La Greca ◽

Pietro Conti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Locally Advanced ◽

Advanced Rectal Cancer ◽

Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer ◽

Prognostic Impact ◽

Metastatic Lymph Nodes ◽

Metastatic Lymph ◽

Lymph Node Retrieval

Abstract According to the American Joint Committee on Cancer, at least 12 lymph nodes are required to accurately stage locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NACRT) reduces the number of lymph nodes retrieved during surgery. In this study, we evaluated the effect of NACRT on lymph node retrieval and prognosis in patients with LARC. We performed an observational study of 142 patients with LARC. Although our analysis was retrospective, data were collected prospectively. Half the patients were treated with NACRT and total mesorectal excision (TME) and the other half underwent TME only. The number of lymph nodes retrieved and the number of metastatic lymph nodes were significantly reduced in the NACRT group (P > 0.001). In the univariate and multivariate analyses, only NACRT and patient age were significantly associated with reduced lymph node retrieval. The number of metastatic lymph nodes and the lymph node ratio (LNR) both had a significant effect on prognosis when the patient population was examined as a whole (P = 0.003 and P = 0.001, respectively). However, the LNR was the only significant, independent prognostic factor in both treatment groups (P = 0.007 for the NACRT group; P = 0.04 for the no-NACRT group). NACRT improves patient prognosis only when the number of metastatic lymph nodes is reduced. The number of metastatic lymph nodes and the LNR are important prognostic factors. Lymph node retrieval remains an indispensable tool for staging and prognostic assessment of patients with rectal carcinoma treated with NACRT.

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Preoperative endoscopic tattooing technique improved lymph node retrieval in rectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy

Journal of Clinical Pathology ◽

10.1136/jclinpath-2019-206240 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (5) ◽

pp. 267-272

Author(s):

Yi-Ting Chen ◽

Jaw-Yuan Wang ◽

Jiunn-Wei Wang ◽

Chee-Yin Chai

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy ◽

Tumour Progression ◽

Histological Grade ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Clinicopathological Parameters ◽

Pathological Stage ◽

Independent Predictive Factor ◽

Lymph Node Retrieval

AimsTo describe the clinical utility of lymph node retrieval and prognostic value of tattooing in rectal cancer (RC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).MethodsA total 97 RC patients underwent preoperative CCRT, and 38 patients had preoperative endoscopic tattooing. Surgical intervention was performed after CCRT and the specimens were sampled as standard protocol in all patients. Other clinicopathological parameters correlated with lymph node retrieval status were also analysed.ResultsFifteen patients (39.5%) of 38 RC patients in the tattooing group (TG) had adequate lymph node retrieval (>12) compared with 12 (20.3%) of 59 in the non-tattooing group. Higher lymph node retrieval rate was noted in the TG (p=0.04). In multivariable analysis, it showed tattooing was an independent predictive factor for higher lymph node retrieval in RC patients after CCRT (p=0.024) by logistic regression modelling. Besides histological grade, positive lymphovascular invasion, presence of lymph node metastasis, poor CCRT response and advanced pathological stage, inadequate lymph node retrieval was significantly associated with poor survival (all p<0.05) by Kaplan-Meier analysis. In multivariable analyses, the results revealed that lymph node retrieval (p=0.005), pathological stage (p=0.001) and tumour progression grade (p=0.02) were independent prognostic markers in RC patients receiving CCRT.ConclusionPreoperative endoscopic tattooing is a useful technique for RC patient receiving neoadjuvant CCRT. It can improve lymph node retrieval and provide an adequate diagnosis for proper treatment and prognosis.

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Lymph node yield is an independent predictor of survival in rectal cancer regardless of receipt of neoadjuvant therapy

Journal of Clinical Pathology ◽

10.1136/jclinpath-2016-203995 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 70 (7) ◽

pp. 584-592 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Zhaomin Xu ◽

Mariana E Berho ◽

Adan Z Becerra ◽

Christopher T Aquina ◽

Bradley J Hensley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Neoadjuvant Therapy ◽

Neoadjuvant Treatment ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation ◽

Mixed Effects ◽

Patient Factors ◽

Lymph Node Yield ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Node Yield

AimsLymph node yield (LNY) is used as a marker of adequate oncological resection. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) currently recommends that at least 12 nodes are necessary to confirm node-negative disease for rectal cancer. A LNY of 12 is not always achieved, particularly in patients who have undergone neoadjuvant treatment. This study attempts to examine factors associated with LNY and its prognostic impact following neoadjuvant chemoradiation in rectal cancer.MethodsThe 2006–2011 National Cancer Data Base was queried for patients with clinical stage I–III rectal cancer who underwent a proctectomy. Suboptimal LNY was defined as <12 lymph nodes examined. A mixed-effects multinomial logistic regression model was used to identify independent factors associated with LNY. Mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the adjusted effect of LNY on 5-year overall survival.Results25 447 patients met inclusion criteria. Overall, 62% of the cohort received neoadjuvant chemoradiation and 32% had suboptimal LNY. The median LNY for patients who received neoadjuvant therapy was 13 (IQR: 9–18) and for patients who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy was 15 (IQR: 12–21). After risk adjustment, there was a 3.5-fold difference in the rate of suboptimal LNY among individual hospitals (27%–95%). Suboptimal LNY was independently associated with an 18% increased hazard of death among patients who did not receive neoadjuvant treatment and a 20% increased hazard of death among those who did receive neoadjuvant treatment when controlled for adjuvant treatment, staging, proximal/distal margins and other patient factors.ConclusionsSuboptimal LNY is independently associated with worse overall survival regardless of neoadjuvant therapy, pathological staging and patient factors in rectal cancer. This finding underlies the importance and challenge of an optimal lymph node evaluation for prognostication, especially for patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy.

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