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The present study aimed to investigate the clinical implications of apical lymph node metastasis (ALNM) after curative resection of stage III colorectal cancer.A retrospective study was conducted of 1403 consecutive colorectal cancer patients who underwent surgical resection at a single institution between April 2008 and January 2020. The characteristics of ALNM, the recurrence status and the relapse-free survival (RFS) were examined.The numbers of patients with stage ≤ I, II, III, and IV disease were 350, 437, 476, and 140 patients, respectively. Among these patients with stage III disease, ALNM was seen in 21 patients (4.4% of stage III patients). Among them, curative resection was performed in 19 patients. Recurrence was observed in 68% (13/19) of the patients with ALNM who received curative resection. The first sites of recurrence included the lymph nodes 53.8% (7/13), liver 30.8% (4/13), lung 15.4% (2/13), brain 7.7% (1/13), bone 7.7% (1/13), and peritoneum 7.7% (1/13). There was no significant difference in the RFS of patients with ALNM who were managed with or without adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.207). Furthermore, the RFS of the group managed without adjuvant chemotherapy and the group that received adjuvant chemotherapy with/without oxaliplatin did not differ to a statistically significant extent (P = 0.318). In stage III colorectal cancer patients with ALNM, recurrence was observed significantly more frequently in comparison to stage III colorectal cancer patients without ALNM (P = 0.007). The first site of recurrence in patients with ALNM was most frequently seen in the distant lymph nodes (P = 0.004).Our findings suggest that ALNM is strongly associated with recurrence in the distant lymph nodes and that it may lead to the development of systemic disease. The current regimen for stage III colorectal cancer may therefore not be sufficient for patients with stage III ALNM.

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is one of the most serious complications after laparoscopic low anterior resection (LALAR) for rectal cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the risk factors for AL after LALAR.A retrospective study was conducted of 103 patients who underwent LALAR in a single institute between October 2008 and January 2018. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the clinicopathological factors associated with AL.The overall incidence of AL was 9.7% (10/103). After anastomosis using the double-stapling technique, a transanal tube was placed in 88 patients (85.4%). A diverting stoma was created in 26 patients (25.2%). The univariate analysis showed that a younger age (P = 0.014), higher stage (P = 0.048), deeper depth of tumor invasion (P = 0.028), larger tumor circumference (P = 0.024), longer operation time (P = 0.015), and early postoperative diarrhea (P = 0.002) were associated with AL. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed early postoperative diarrhea (odds ratio [OR] 16.513, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.393-113.971, P = 0.004) a younger age (10-year increments; OR 0.351, 95% CI 0.147-0.839, P = 0.019), operative time (10-min increments; OR 1.089, 95% CI 1.012-1.172, P = 0.022), and higher stage (OR 10.605, 95% CI 1.279-87.919, P = 0.029) were independent risk factors for AL CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that tumor progression accompanied by a high stage, long operative time, and insufficient bowel preparation and early postoperative diarrhea due to a large tumor circumference may be risk factors of AL after LALAR for rectal cancer.