U.S. Hospitals 'Flunk' Colon Cancer, Study Finds
Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 11:28
in Health & Medicine
A new study has found the majority of hospitals don't check enough lymph nodes after a patient's colon cancer surgery to determine if the disease has spread. Leading oncology organizations have recommended a minimum of 12 lymph nodes be examined to determine if colon cancer has metastasized. That affects whether a patient receives chemotherapy, which significantly improves survival. Yet, more than 60 percent of nearly 1,300 institutions in the United States failed to check enough nodes.