Oncologic outcomes after resection of para-aortic lymph node metastasis in left-sided colon and rectal cancer
Abstract Background The optimal surgical management strategy for para-aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis has not attracted as much attention as surgery for liver or lung metastasis. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the oncologic outcomes after synchronous resection of PALN metastasis in left-sided colon and rectal cancer.Methods Between January 1986 and August 2016, 29 patients with pathologically positive PALN metastasis who underwent curative resection at our hospital were retrospectively reviewed. We examined clinicopathological characteristics, long-term oncologic outcomes, and factors related to favorable prognosis in patients with PALN metastasis.Results The 3-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 50.5% and 17.2%, respectively. Six (20.7%) patients experienced no recurrence in the three years after surgery. Postoperative complications were seen in nine (31.0%) patients. The three-year RFS rate was significantly better in the pM1a group than in the pM1b/pM1c group (26.3% and 0.0%, respectively, p = 0.032).Conclusions PALN dissection for left-sided colon or rectal cancer with synchronous PALN metastasis can be a feasible treatment option in selected patients.