[Can Lateral Pelvic Node Dissection Omitted in Rectal Cancer with Suspected Lateral Node Metastasis after Chemoradiotherapy ?]

Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2017 Nov;44(12):1473-1475.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

To elucidate ideal strategy of treatment for advanced lower rectal cancer, we investigated 11 patients with clinically suspected lateral pelvic node(LPN)metastasis among 36 patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy(NCRT). Nodal metastasis was diagnosed as positive when the major axis of a lymph node was over 7mm in computed tomography(CT). Both tumor and nodal downstaging were observed in CT after NCRT; pathological complete response and ypN0 was obtained in 2(18.2%)and 6(54.5%)cases, respectively, and positive LPN was observed only in 2 cases. All of 4 cases who were diagnosed as ycN0 in CT after chemoradiation were confirmed as ypN0. Extended examination with 36 patients who underwent NCRT showed that 85% of 21 ycN0-cases were confirmed to be ypN0. As a conclusion, NCRT for lower rectal cancer with suspected LPN metastasis was highly effective, and omitting lateral node dissection when all nodes turned to be less than 7mm on CT, can be a hopeful option.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Chemoradiotherapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lymph Node Excision
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pelvis / pathology
  • Rectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Rectal Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Treatment Outcome