淋巴结转移是结肠癌细胞转移的主要途径之一，亦是导致结肠癌病人根治术后复发和死亡的重要原因。根治性手术在进展期结肠癌综合治疗中起着关键作用，淋巴结清扫是结肠癌根治性手术的关键环节，淋巴结清扫范围包括肠旁、中间和主淋巴结。每例结肠癌根治术后标本至少应剪取12枚淋巴结。结肠癌根治术中合理规范的淋巴结清扫与术后足够数量的淋巴结剪取是结肠癌精确分期的依据，对于指导制定辅助治疗方案和评估预后具有重要意义。

Impact of lymph node dissection on prognosis in patients performed curative resection of colon cancer        DAI Dong-qiu. Department of Surgical Oncology, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China
Abstract    Lymph node metastasis is one of the main metastatic paths of colon cancer cells, also contributed to the major cause of recurrence and death in patients performed curative resection of colon cancer. Radical surgery may play a key role in comprehensive treatment of colon cancer, especially in advanced cases with lymph nodes metastasis. Systematic en bloc dissection of regional lymph nodes is a central aspect of colon cancer radical surgery, including paracolic/epicolic lymph nodes, intermediate lymph nodes along the artery and the main lymph nodes at the origin of the artery. A minimum of 12 lymph nodes should be retrieved in each colon cancer specimen. Accurate staging of colon cancer depends on rational standard lymph nodes dissection of radical operation and adequate lymph nodes harvesting of colon cancer specimen, which is important for determining prognosis and planning further treatment in patients performed curative resection of colon cancer.