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Node Yield and Node Involvement in Young Colon Cancer Patients: Is There a Difference in Cancer Survival Based on Age?

  • Original Article
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Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery Aims and scope

Abstract

Background

The effect on cancer-specific survival (CSS) from the number of resected nodes (node yield) and the number of nodes involved with colon cancer has not been studied with respect to age.

Patient and Methods

Data from 1992 to 2006 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry were analyzed for colon cancer patients undergoing curative resection, comparing younger (<40; n = 2,642) and older (≥40; n = 138,769) patients.

Results

The mean number of positive nodes and mean node yield was higher for the younger group. Younger patients were more likely to have metastatic disease and to have a nodal yield of ≥12 nodes, and were less likely to have node-negative colon cancers (all p < 0.0001). Younger age was associated with a lower risk of death from colon cancer (HR = 0.65; p < 0.0001). No CSS effect was noted with the interaction of age with either node yield or node involvement. Node yield <12 created a higher risk of cancer-specific death (HR = 1.22; p < 0.0001) regardless of stage. KM plots by stage demonstrated a CSS advantage (p < 0.0001) for younger patients.

Conclusions

Younger patients with colon cancers do not have a worse CSS simply because of their young age, so long as proper oncologic surgical principles are adhered to.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Li Wang & Christopher S. Hollenbeak

  2. Department of Surgery, Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, H137, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA

    Christopher S. Hollenbeak & David B. Stewart

Authors
  1. Li Wang
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  2. Christopher S. Hollenbeak
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  3. David B. Stewart
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Correspondence to David B. Stewart.

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Wang, L., Hollenbeak, C.S. & Stewart, D.B. Node Yield and Node Involvement in Young Colon Cancer Patients: Is There a Difference in Cancer Survival Based on Age?. J Gastrointest Surg 14, 1355–1361 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-010-1275-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-010-1275-y

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