Optimizing Lymph Node Staging in Gallbladder Cancer: A Cutoff of 11 Nodes for Accurate Staging and Improved Survival

Key Points

• The aim is to determine the optimal number of lymph nodes needed for accurate staging in gallbladder cancer and its effect on survival.
• Analyzed lymph node retrieval in patients with gallbladder cancer, focusing on the number of nodes obtained.
• Examined the association between retrieving at least 11 lymph nodes and the false N0 rate.
• Retrieval of at least 11 lymph nodes correlated with a significantly lower false N0 rate.
• Survival analyses indicated a contextual alignment with improved accuracy rather than direct evidence of survival benefit.