A modified mTNM staging system based on lymph node ratio for colon neuroendocrine tumors: A recursive partitioning analysis

BackgroundIn the current tumor–lymph node–metastasis (TNM) staging system for colon neuroendocrine tumors, lymph node status is divided into N1 and N0. An assessment of the lymph node ratio (LNR) and a proposal for a modified mTNM staging system were the objectives of this study.MethodsSelecting the optimal cut-off value of LNR was done using X-tile. A Cox regression model and the Kaplan–Meier method were performed to calculate patient cancer-specific survival in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cohort. Recursive partitioning analysis was used to improve TNM staging.ResultsThe study included 674 patients. The current TNM staging system showed inadequate discriminatory power between stage I and stage II patients (p = 0.088). The optimal cut-off value was determined as 0.6 for LNR. Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis, the modified mN classification could be classified into mN 0 (LNR = 0.00), mN 1 (LNR = 0.01–0.60), and mN 2 (LNR > 0.60), and was found to be an independent factor affecting prognosis (p < 0.001). Using the American Joint Committee on Cancer T and modified mN classifications, the modified mTNM system was constructed, and it exhibited better prognostic discriminatory power ability than the traditional TNM system (C-index: 0.587 vs. 0.665).ConclusionsOur study determined that LNR is a prognostic factor in colon NET patients. In addition, to more accurately assess the prognosis of colon NET patients, we proposed a modified mTNM staging system.