Stage migration vs immunology: The lymph node count story in colon cancer

Table 3 Prognostic relevance of lymph node harvest in stage II and III colon cancers

First author	Year	n	N+	Insuff rate	pT3/4	Endpoints	Cut off	Prognostic stage II	Prognostic stage III
Prandi1	2002	3491	48%	501%	n.m.	OS, PFS	8-12 (RR = 0.46) vs 13-17 (RR = 0.76) vs > 17 (RR = 0.79)	Yes	No
Le Voyer2	2003	3411	81%	NA	89%	CsS	N1: ≥ 12 vs > 10 vs > 40; N2: > 35; N0: ≥ 12 vs≥ 12 vs > 20 and < 35	Yes	Yes
Jestin	2004	3735	31%	NA	NA	OS	≥ 12	Yes	/3
Johnson	2006	20702	100%	NA	92%	5yCsS	< 4 neg LN vs > 12 neg LN	/	Yes
Kelder	2009	2281	32.4%	79%	79%	5yOS	< 6; 6-11; > 11	Yes	N
Tsikitis	2009	329	100%	49%	NA	CsS/DFS	> 12	/	N
Vather	2009	4309	NA	NA	NA	5yOS	4 LN wide steps	Yes	Yes
Dillman	2009	574	NA	NA	NA	OS	≥ 12	Yes	No
Shanmugam	2011	490	46.9%	24%	NA	5yCsS/CsS	≥ 20	Yes	Yes
Chang	2012	9644	41%	27.7%	80.2%	5yOS	≥ 12	Yes	Yes
Gleisner	2013	154208	34%4	NA	69.4%	OS	Linear risk reduction up to 25 LN in N- and up 10 LN in N+	Yes	Yes
Khan	2014	194459	NA	41%	NA	CsS	≥ 12 LN	Yes	Yes

¹Intergroup Trial INT-0089;

²INTAC-Trail;

³Lymph node ratio is prognostic;

⁴Mean out of two collectives. NA: No available data; 5yOS: 5 year overall survival; 5yDFS: 5 year disease-free survival; OS: Overall survival; CsS: Cancer specific survival; HR: Hazard rate; ACT: Adjuvant chemotherapy; LN: Lymph node; PFS: Progression-free survival; DFS: Disease-free survival; N-: Node negative; N+: Node positive.