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Updated: May 7, 2026
Caudal-to-cranial Approach in Laparoscopic Right Hemicolectomy with Complete Mesocolon Excision and D3 Lymph Node Dissection
Published on: January 9, 2026
Degree of specialisation of the surgeon influences lymph node yield after right-sided hemicolectomy
F Brännström1, P Jestin, P Matthiessen
1Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Aim:
To investigate the degree to which specialisation or case-load of the surgeon is associated with the number of lymph nodes isolated from pathology specimens after right-sided hemicolectomy.
Method:
Data from 6 hospitals with well-defined catchment areas included in the Uppsala/Örebro Regional Oncology Centre Colon Cancer Register 1997-2006 were used to assess 821 patients undergoing right-sided hemicolectomy for stages I-III colon cancer. Factors influencing the lymph node yield were evaluated.
Results:
A surgeon with colorectal accreditation and a university pathology department were both associated with a significantly higher proportion of patients having 12 or more lymph nodes isolated from surgical specimens after right-sided hemicolectomy in both unadjusted and multivariate analyses. Emergency surgery did not affect the lymph node yield.
Conclusion:
The degree of specialisation of the surgeon influences the number of lymph nodes isolated from specimens obtained during routine right-sided colon cancer surgery.
