A new fat-dissociation method to detect lymph nodes in colorectal cancer: a prospective randomized study

Histological examination of the lymph nodes (LNs) is crucial to determine the colorectal cancer (CRC) stage. We previously reported a new fat-dissociation method (FM) to detect LNs from surgically resected mesentery. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of FM compared with that of conventional palpation method (PM) in CRC. This single-center, open-label, randomized controlled study was performed at Osaka International Cancer Institute in Japan in 2014. Randomization was performed using a computer-generated permuted-block sequence. Patients were stratified by surgical procedures and the LN dissection area. The primary endpoint was the time required for LN identification. The secondary endpoint was the number of LNs and 5-year cancer-specific survival. The 130 enrolled patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the FM and the PM groups. LN identification times were 45 (range 15–80) and 15 (range 7–30) minutes in the PM and the FM groups, respectively ( P < 0.001). In the PM group, body mass index and identification time were correlated ( P = 0.047). The number of LN which could be examined pathologically was 16 (range 2–48) and 18 (range 4–95) in the PM and FM groups, respectively ( P = 0.546). In right-sided CRC, the number of LNs was higher in the FM group than in the PM group ( P = 0.031). Relapse-free survival rates and cancer-specific survival rates did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, FM reduced the time required for LN detection without reducing the number of detected LNs, making it is a useful method to detect LNs in surgical specimens.