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In theory, removal of lymph nodes during surgery for colon cancer reduces the reservoir for potentially lethal cancer, and knowing how far a cancer has spread can lead to treatment that is more tailored and beneficial. In an extensive systematic analysis of 17 studies from nine countries, researchers investigated whether removing and examining more lymph nodes lead to better outcomes.
One study, a national clinical trial in which more than 3400 patients were enrolled (J Natl Cancer Inst 2005; 97:219), was designed to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy on colon cancer recurrence after surgical resection. The results demonstrated 14% higher 5-year survival among patients with stage II cancers when more than 20 lymph nodes were examined compa…