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.