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Preoperative endoscopic tattooing and its effect on lymph node recovery in pT1 colorectal cancer
Inés Gil-Lasa1, Luis Bujanda1, Cristina Sarasqueta2
1Gastroenterology Department, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastián, Spain; CIBERehd (Networked Biomedical Research Centre in Hepatic and Digestive Diseases), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastián, Spain.
Objective:
Preoperative endoscopic tattooing in patients with T1 colorectal cancer may increase lymph node retrieval. The aim of our study was to evaluate the use of preoperative tattooing in surgically treated T1 colorectal cancer and to identify its impact on lymph node recovery.
Patients And Methods:
We included all cases of pT1 colorectal cancer treated with oncologic surgery from a retrospective, multicenter Spanish cohort study (EpiT1 Consortium). The use of preoperative tattooing and its influence on lymph node recovery outcomes were analyzed.
Results:
A total of 1700 patients with pT1 colon cancer undergoing oncologic resection were included. Of these, 63.6% (1082/1700) had received preoperative tattooing. The median number of nodes retrieved was 14 in both groups (p=0.12). The rate of adequate lymph node recovery (≥12 nodes) was similar between tattooed and non-tattooed patients (60.8% vs. 61.9%, p=0.67), with no differences depending on tumor location. There were also no differences in the rate of positive nodes between tattooed and non-tattooed patients (10.4% vs. 9.5%, p=0.61) nor by tumor location.
Conclusion:
The use of endoscopic tattooing does not appear to increase the total lymph node retrieval or the detection of positive lymph nodes during surgery.
