Correlation analysis of factors related with lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer

Objective To investigate the factors related with the lymph node metastasis (LNM) in colorectal cancer. Methods 1 374 patients with colorectal carcinoma undergone surgery from 1975 to 1999 in Nanfang Hospital were analyzed, and Access database was build up to find out the factors concerned. Results The lymph node metastasis rates of age 30 and 50 were 51 3% and 31 3% respectively. The rate of LNM rose with the increase of depth and circumference of penetration. The rates of LNM in protruded type, ulcerative type, infiltrating type and colloid type were 30 9%, 39 7%,42 1%,42 9%,respectively. The rates of LNM in adenocarcinoma, mucoid carcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma were 33 3%, 49 6%, 61 1%. LNM occurred significantly less in well differentiated cancers than that in bad differentiated. Tumor size and serum CEA level before operation were not significantly predictive factors for LNM. Conclusions The main factors related with LNM in colorectal carcinoma are age, circumference and depth of penetration, gross type, pathological type, differentiated degree, and growth type. Tumor size and serum CEA level before operation are not related to LNM.