Lymph node staging is of crucial importance for the therapy stratification and prognosis estimation in @entity694 . Beside the detection of @entity3 , the number of harvested lymph nodes itself has prognostic relevance in @entity5 . A stage migration effect caused by missed lymph node @entity3 has been postulated as most likely explanation for that. In order to avoid false negative node staging reporting of at least 12 lymph nodes is recommended. However, this threshold is met only in a minority of cases in daily practice. Due to quality initiatives the situation has improved in the past. This, however, had no influence on staging in several studies. While the numbers of evaluated lymph nodes increased continuously during the last decades the rate of node positive cases remained relatively constant. This fact together with other indications raised doubts that understaging is indeed the correct explanation for the prognostic impact of lymph node harvest. Several authors assume that immune response could play a major role in this context influencing both the @entity1600 and the @entity5 's behavior. Further studies addressing this issue are need. Based on the findings the recommendations concerning minimal lymph node numbers and adjuvant chemotherapy should be reconsidered.

Stage migration vs immunology: The lymph node count story in XXXX .

@entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor', 'stage II/III cancers'] @entity694 :: ('MESH:D003110', 'Disease') :: ['colon cancer'] @entity1600 :: ('MESH:D014388', 'Disease') :: ['lymph node detectability'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastases']
@entity694 :: (MESH:D003110,Disease) :: ['colon cancer']
