Short term results of complete (D3) vs. standard (D2) mesenteric excision in colon cancer shows improved outcome of complete mesenteric excision in patients with TNM stages I-II.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the new method of complete mesocolic excision (CME) with a high (apical) vascular tie (D3 resection) had an immediate effect compared with a conventional (standard) approach even in those patients without lymph node metastases.

Methods: A cohort of 189 consecutive patients with tumour-nodal-metastasis (TNM) stages I-II and a mean age of 73 years were operated on in the period from January 2007 to December 2008 in three community teaching hospitals. The CME approach (n = 89), used in hospital A, was compared to the standard technique used (n = 105) in two other hospitals, B and C.

The total number of lymph nodes in resected colon cancer specimens is affected by several factors but the lymph node ratio is independent of these.

The number of lymph nodes retrieved from the specimen may be a surrogate measure of the adequacy of extensive colon cancer surgery, but many variables may influence the total lymph node yield of any specimen. We examined which variables would be influential both for negative and positive node sampling.The combined results from 428 patients from three hospitals A to C treated in 2007-2009 with single colon cancers having R0 segmental resections were analysed.

Improved lymph node harvest from resected colon cancer specimens did not cause upstaging from TNM stage II to III.

Background: The number of lymph nodes retrieved and examined from a resected colon cancer specimen may be crucial for correct staging. We examined if efforts to increase the lymph node harvest to more than 12 lymph nodes per specimen would upstage some patients from TNM stage II to III.

Methods: Three hospitals compared results from 2000 with those of 2007 in 421 resected patients with stage II and III colon cancer.

Overall survival after resection for colon cancer in a national cohort study was adversely affected by TNM stage, lymph node ratio, gender, and old age.

Background: A national surveillance program of colon cancer treatment was introduced in 2007. We examined prognostic factors for colon cancer operated in 2000 with an aim of improving survival in the new program and a special focus on the merit of lymph node yield.

Methods: A cohort of 269 patients, 152 women (56.