Lymph node evaluations for colon cancer increased markedly from 1988-2008, according to a Journal of American Medical Association report.
Evaluations at a level of 12 lymph nodes or more rose from 34.6 percent of patients in 1988-1990 to 73.6 percent in 2006-2008.
Data suggest that a more extensive lymph node evaluation reduces the risk of understaging, when inadequate assessments do not identify patients with node-positive disease.
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