Lymphatic Vessel Density at the Site of Deepest Penetration as a Predictor of Lymph Node Metastasis in Submucosal Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Identification of lymphatic vessels by podoplanin immunostaining provides objective and accurate evaluation of lymphatic involvement. Lymphatic vessel density at the site of deepest penetration is a useful predictor of lymph node metastasis of submucosal colorectal cancer.