Mean number of lymph nodes in colonic cancer specimen: possible quality control index for surgical performance.

Unlabelled: Lymphatic involvement in colonic cancer explains the need for extensive lymphadenectomy for intended curative operations. Surgical skills may determine the actual extent of the procedure and indirectly the number of lymphnodes (LN) removed from each specimen.

Material And Methods: We looked on a series of 329 consecutive patients with colonic cancer who underwent a standardized procedure including extensive lymphadenectomy.