Management of nodal disease from colon cancer in the laparoscopic era

Purpose In colon cancer (CC), nodal involvement is the main prognostic factor following potentially curative (R0) resection. The purpose of this study was to examine data from the literature to provide an up-to-date analysis of the management of nodal disease with special reference to laparoscopic treatment. Methods MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for potentially eligible studies published in English up to July 15, 2014. Results In CC, nodal involvement is a frequent event and represents the main risk of cancer recurrence. Node negative patients recur in 10–30 % of cases most likely due to underdiagnosed or undertreated nodal disease. Extended colonic resections (complete mesocolic excision with central vascular ligation; D3 lymphadenectomy) provides a survival benefit and better local control. Sentinel lymph node mapping in addition to standard surgical resection represents an option for improving staging of clinical node negative patients. Both extended resection and sentinel lymph node mapping are feasible in a laparoscopic setting. Conclusions Both extended colonic resection and sentinel lymph node mapping should play a role in the laparoscopic treatment of CC with the purpose of improving control and staging of nodal disease.