Comparative study on the conventional dissection and curettage-aspiration dissection in lymph node dissection for advanced gastrointestinal cancer CHEN Xiao-peng*, ZHANG Guo-zheng, LI Shu-ren, et al. *Department of General Surgery, Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241001,China Corresponding author: CHEN Xiao-peng，E-mail：drcxp@sohu.com Abstract Objective To compare the effectiveness of the conventional dissection and curettage-aspiration dissection in lymph node dissection for advanced gastrointestinal cancer. Methods Ninety-seven patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer admitted between January 2004 and August 2007 at Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College were randomly divided into the conventional surgery group (CS group) and the curettage-aspiration surgery group (CA group). The operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage quantity, blood transfusion amount, the number of cleared lymph node and postoperative data of follow-up were collected. Results The average surgery time was 203.62 mins in CS group and 209.60 mins in CA group，respectively. The intraoperative hemorrhage quantity was 330.64 and 245.00 mL with the blood transfusion amount 683.33 and 504.50 mL, respectively. The average number of cleared lymph node was 11.60 and 17.48, respectively. The follow-up time was 17～60 months, with an average of 36 months. The tumor recurrence rates in CS group and CA group were 48.72% (19/39) and 26.83% (11/41), respectively, and 3-year survival rates were 56.41% and 75.61%, respectively. Conclusion Curettage-aspiration dissection may improve the extent and effectiveness of lymph node dissection for advanced gastrointestinal cancer, reduce the hemorrhage quantity, decrease the tumor recurrence rate and lengthen the live time of patients.