From "East vs West" towards international multidisciplinary collaboration: An appraisal of lateral lymph nodes in rectal cancer.

Western and Eastern practices have traditionally differed in their approach to treating lateral lymph nodes in rectal cancer. While Western clinicians have primarily favored neoadjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy to sterilize lateral compartments, Eastern physicians have often opted for the surgical removed of lymphatic tissue with a lateral lymph node dissection without neoadjuvant treatment. The literature suggests similar oncological outcomes for these two separate techniques, while tangible differences exist. The combination of these paradigms may be beneficial in reducing overall morbidity while sustaining low recurrence rates. This article considers traditional Eastern and Western perspectives, discusses nodal features important for predicting malignancy and attempts to stimulate international, multidisciplinary consensus and collaboration.

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© 2021 The Authors. Annals of Gastroenterological Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Society of Gastroenterology.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Funding: No funding was received. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interests for this article. Author Contribution: All authors contributed substantially to the conception, creation and interpretation of this work and were involved in drafting and revising it critically. Each author approved the final version to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.