Number of retrieved lymph nodes is an independent prognostic factor after total gastrectomy for patients with stage III gastric cancer: propensity score matching analysis of a multi-institution dataset

Background The prognostic significance of the number of retrieved lymph nodes (RLNs) in gastric cancer remains controversial. Therefore, we designed a multicenter collaborative database to investigate the correlation between the number of RLNs and prognosis of patients with advanced gastric cancer after curative resection.