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.