Meeting the 12 Lymph Node (LN) Benchmark in Colon Cancer

Background: Examining >= 12 LN in colon cancer has been suggested as a quality metric The purpose of this study was to determine whether the 12 LN benchmark is achieved at NCCN centers compared to a US population-based sample Methods: Patients with stage I-III disease resected at NCCN centers were identified front a prospective database (n = 718) and were compared to 12,845 stage I-III par tents diagnosed in a SEER region Age. gender, location, stage, number of positive nodes were compared or NCCN and SEER data in regards to number of nodes evaluated Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to Identify factors associated with evaluating 12 LNs Results: 92% of NCCN and 58% of SEER patients had >= 12 LN evaluated For patients treated at NCCN centers, factors associated with not meeting the 12 LN target were left-sided urinals. stage I disease and BMI >30 Conclusions: >= 12 LN are almost always evaluated in NCCN patients In contrast, this target is achieved in 58% of SEER pat rents With longer follow-up of the NCCN cohort we will be able to link this quality metric to patterns of recurrence and survival and thereby better understand whether increasing the number of nodes evaluated is a priority for cancer control Sing Oncol 2010, 102 3-9 (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc