Table II.

Number of LNs obtained from first and second assessments and the number of LN metastases.

		First assessment		Second assessment
Patient	Stage	LNs	Positive nodes	LNs	Positive nodes	Total LNs
1a	I	6	0	8	0	14
2a	I	8	0	6	0	14
3	I	13	0	3	0	16
4	I	19	0	3	0	22
5	I	19	0	4	0	23
6	I	22	0	5	0	27
7	I	22	0	13	0	35
8a	II	7	0	5	0	12
9a	II	9	0	9	0	18
10	II	12	0	2	0	14
11	II	12	0	6	0	18
12	II	12	0	9	0	21
13	II	14	0	3	0	17
14	II	25	0	1	0	26
15	II	27	0	6	0	33
16	II	31	0	5	0	36
17	III	13	1	7	1	20
18	IV	3	2	6	0	9
19	IV	21	1	6	0	27
Median	–	13	–	6	–	20
(range)		(3–31)		(1–13)		(9–36)
Mean	–	15.5	–	5.6	–	21.2
(SD)		(7.7)		(2.8)		(7.8)

Patients are sorted according to the pathological tumor stage and the number of LNs obtained at the first assessment.

^aIn these patients, the LN number after the first assessment was less than 12, but reached a sufficient level after the second assessment using fat dissolution. SD, standard deviation; LNs, lymph nodes.