ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the related factors of lymph node detection number in rectal cancer patients underwent laparoscopic surgery. Methods 98 patients with rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic surgery were selected from January 2014 to January 2010. All the patients general information [gender, age, body mass index (BMI)], preoperative imaging findings and pathological data (tumor size, gross type, TNM stage, distant metastasis, histological differentiation and depth of invasion, et al), surgery related data (experience of surgeon, operation time) and preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy were collected. Results The age, BMI, tumor size, length of specimen, invasive depth, surgeon and preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy was correlated with the number of lymph nodes in patients with laparoscopic surgery (P < 0.05), but gender, TNM staging, general type, histological differentiation, operation time were not associated with the number of lymph nodes detected in minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer (P > 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that BMI, tumor size, length of specimen, invasive depth, surgeon and preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy were the independent influencing factors of lymph node detection in patients with minimally invasive rectal cancer (P < 0.05). Conclusion The factors of patients, tumor status, surgical factors and preoperative chemoradiotherapy are related to the number of lymph nodes in patients with rectal cancer.