Lymph node yield as a measure of pancreatic cancer surgery quality

Evaluated lymph node (ELN) yield has been established as a promising measure of surgical quality. Research has suggested that an ELN of at least 15 in pancreatic cancer patients is associated with improved survival and staging metrics. The aim of this study was to determine what impact a high ELN yield of ≥15 has in a novel population.

A retrospective cohort study was performed of patients with resectable, non-metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy followed by pancreatectomy using the National Cancer Database (NCDB 2004-2017). Patients who had <15 nodes examined and those who had ≥15 examined (high ELN) were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine factors associated with ELN yield. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify factors associated with overall survival.

A total of 5,930 patients were included; 58% of patients had ≥15 lymph nodes examined. High ELN was associated with significant improvement in overall survival rates (p<0.004) and perioperative outcomes including post-operative stay (p<0.0001), 30-day unplanned readmission (p<0.028), and 90-day mortality (p<0.001). Patients who were treated at facilities with a high procedure-specific surgery volume were more likely to receive high ELN surgeries than those treated at facilities with a low volume (HR = 2.86[95% CI = 2.36-3.47]).

An ELN yield of ≥15 was a significant measure of surgical quality in this novel population as it was associated with improvements in survival and perioperative outcomes. However, considerable harvest disparities exist at the facility level.