Table 2 Factors influencing lymph node yield (univariate analysis)

Total

13.6

7.3

Age (years):

0.50

<60 (23)

14.5

8.1

>60 (88)

13.3

7.1

Sex:

0.79

Male (63)

13.7

7.1

Female (48)

13.4

7.6

Tumor site:

0.24

Middle (45)

14.6

7.6

Lower (66)

12.9

7.1

Tumor grade:

0.0003

G1 (5)

13.2

6.8

G2 (76)

14.1

7.3

G3 (10)

19.7

7.0

Gx (20)

8.4

3.7

Stage:

0.005

0 (7)

11.7

5.4

I (31)

12

6.4

II (22)

15.5

8.3

III (39)

15.8

7.3

X (12)

7.9

4.5

Type of surgery:

0.65

Low anterior resection (76)

13.4

7.0

Abdominalperineal resection (35)

14.0

7.08

Surgical approach:

0.02

Open (38)

15.8

8.3

Laparoscopy (73)

12.4

6.4

Neoadjuvant:

0.006

No (61)

15.3

7.7

Yes (50)

11.5

6.5

Surgeons:

0.18

1 (23)

16.3

10.3

2 (16)

13.6

7.3

3 (26)

14.0

5.3

4 (18)

13

6.7

5 (28)

11.3

5.8

Pathologists:

0.20

1 (60)

12.9

6.2

2 (31)

14.0

7.6

3 (10)

10.6

5.6

4 (10)

16.8

8.1