Previous studies have reported that extranodal spread is a prognostic factor in patients with several solid cancers. However, the definition of extranodal spread varies with the reporting investigator and has not been standardized yet. Therefore, we selected several widely used definitions from previous reports and comparatively assessed the clinicopathologic significance of these definitions.
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa, 259-1193, Japan. nakaken@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp
