More is better: Lymph node harvesting in colorectal cancer

Abstract Introduction We sought to determine if lymph node harvesting and survival for CRC were comparable between laparoscopic and open resections in a community hospital setting. Methods A retrospective chart review of patients at two community hospitals who underwent open or laparoscopic resection for CRC between January 2008 and September 2013 was performed. Results Three hundred seventy-one patients had open and 110 had laparoscopic resections. There was no difference between open (17.85) and laparoscopic (18.91) approaches (p = 0.171) in the number of lymph nodes harvested. Patients who had more nodes removed tended toward improved survival, independent of stage (p = 0.052), an effect that was more pronounced in the open resection group (p = 0.031). There was no difference in survival between the open and laparoscopic groups overall (HR 1.52, p = 0.208). Discussion No survival advantage was found between the open and laparoscopic resection groups, affirming that the choice of operative approach for CRC does not affect the quality of the oncologic procedure in a community hospital setting. Patients who had more lymph nodes removed tended toward improved survival. The explanation for this effect remains unclear.