AIMS: To quantify the benefit of processing each lymph node in its entirety in colorectal cancer specimens.METHODS: 391 consecutive cases were examined retrospectively to assess how often cases were upstaged to node positive disease by examining each node in its entirety.RESULTS: 7 out of 391 patients were upstaged by this method. However, of those patients, approximately three could have been detected by chance. Therefore, approximately 1% of cases were correctly upstaged. However, six of these seven patients also had at least one additional adverse prognostic factor, and would otherwise have been considered high risk Dukes' B cases.CONCLUSIONS: Processing all slices of each lymph node significantly increases laboratory workload and is of minimal clinical benefit.
Aged Aged, 80 and over