The validity of predicting prognosis by the number of lymph node metastases in node-positive colon cancer

Kiichi Sugimoto, Masaya Kawai, Kazuhiro Takehara, Yoshihiko Tashiro, Shinya Munakata, Kiichi Nagayasu, Koichiro Niwa, Shun Ishiyama, Hiromitsu Komiyama, Makoto Takahashi, Yutaka Kojima, Michitoshi Goto, Yuichi Tomiki, Kazuhiro Sakamoto

Department of Coloproctological Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ojgas.2013.34036                

Abstract

Background: We examined the possibility of predicting prognosis by the number of lymph node metastases. Methods: Two hundred and forty nine patients with lymph node metastases who underwent curative surgery for colon cancer were enrolled in this study. We calculated cancer-specific survival according to the number of lymph node metastases. Results: There was a tendency toward better rates of cancer-specific survivals among the patients with 1 LNM, compared with those with 2 LNM (p = 0.07). When comparing cancer-specific survival between the patients with 1, 2-3 and 4 or more lymph node metastases, cancer-specific survival was well stratified (p < 0.0001). With regard to stage classification, in the Japanese classi-fication, there was a significant difference in cancer-specific survival between Stages IIIa and IIIb (p < 0.0001). On the other hand, in the TNM classification, cancer-specific survival in Stages IIIA, IIIB and IIIC were stratified into three groups with significant differences (IIIA vs. IIIB; p = 0.007, IIIB vs. IIIC; p < 0.0001). Conclusion: It appeared to be valid to stratify cancer-specific survival into three groups, i.e., the patients with 1, 2 and 3 and 4 or more lymph node metastases. This study was in favor of the TNM classification in which N category is classified by the number of lymph node metastases.

Keywords

Colon Cancer; Lymph Node Metastasis; Stage Classification; TNM Classification; Prognostic Factors

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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