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World J Clin Oncol. Dec 24, 2023; 14(12): 584-592
Published online Dec 24, 2023. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v14.i12.584
Current perspectives on the management of lateral pelvic lymph nodes in rectal cancer
Jonathan Yu Jin Chua, James Chi Yong Ngu, Nan Zun Teo
Jonathan Yu Jin Chua, James Chi Yong Ngu, Nan Zun Teo, Department of General Surgery, Changi General Hospital, Singapore 529889, Singapore
Author contributions: Chua JYJ drafted the article; Ngu JCY and Teo NZ were involved in the concept and design of the article, critical revision, and final approval.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflict of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Nan Zun Teo, Department of General Surgery, Changi General Hospital, 2 Simei Street 3, Singapore 529889, Singapore. teo.nan.zun@singhealth.com.sg
Received: August 28, 2023
Peer-review started: August 28, 2023
First decision: November 1, 2023
Revised: November 7, 2023
Accepted: November 24, 2023
Article in press: November 24, 2023
Published online: December 24, 2023
Processing time: 115 Days and 11.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: The optimal management strategy for lateral pelvic lymph node metastases (mLLN) requires a multimodal approach, involving chemoradiation and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND), in order to achieve adequate local control in patients with locally advanced low rectal cancer. This selective approach requires careful selection of patients who would benefit most from PLND, using pre-treatment nodal short axis measurements as a surrogate for mLLN risk.