BACKGROUND: Histologic examination of a regional lymphadenectomy specimen ordinarily should include 12 or more lymph nodes. However, in specimens from @entity1 who received preoperative chemoradiotherapy this number has not yet been established. METHODS: From January 1990 to December 2000, 210 @entity1 with @entity420 located between 0 and 10 cm from anal verge with invasion into perirectal fat, tethered or fixed to the pelvis, diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scan and/or rectal ultrasound were included. All @entity1 received 45 Gy+bolus infusion of @entity1487 (450 mg/m2/days 1-5, 28-33 of @entity138 ) 4-8 weeks after surgery was performed. Specimens were mapped and sliced. Lymph nodes were studied under clearing or manual techniques. Five-year survival was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and comparison of groups with log-rank test. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to find risk factors affecting local control and survival. RESULTS: There were 126 males and 84 females; mean age was 55.2 years. Low anterior resection was performed in 112 @entity1 , abdominoperineal resection in 85, and pelvic exenteration in 13. Total retrieved lymph nodes numbered 2,554, of which 252 contained @entity3 . The group was divided into @entity1 with 1-10 retrieved lymph nodes (n=119) and @entity1 with > or = 11 retrieved lymph nodes (n=91). Median follow-up was 49 months. Local recurrence was as follows: 15% in @entity1 with specimens containing 1-10 lymph nodes and conversely 7.4% in those with > or = 11 (p=0.01). Five-year survival of @entity1 with 1-10 lymph nodes was 48%, whereas for those with > or = 11 lymph nodes it was 69% (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Retrieval of at least 11 lymph nodes in the surgical specimen is not only a powerful tool to properly stage @entity1 with @entity420 treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy and surgery, but it is also of prognostic relevance in that 5-year survival and local recurrence were better in this group of @entity1 .

Prognostic significance of retrieved lymph nodes per specimen in resected XXXX after preoperative chemoradiation therapy.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity138 :: ('MESH:C563738', 'Disease') :: ['RT'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastasis'] @entity420 :: ('MESH:D000230', 'Disease') :: ['rectal adenocarcinoma'] @entity1487 :: ('MESH:D005472', 'Chemical') :: ['5-FU']
@entity420 :: (MESH:D000230,Disease) :: ['rectal adenocarcinoma']
