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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Colorectal Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1500623

Risk factors for lateral pelvic lymph node metastasis in patients with rectal neuroendocrine tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Ziyue Chen Ziyue Chen Dajian Zhu Dajian Zhu *
  • Shunde Women and Children Hospital and Health Institute, Foshan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background and objective: Lateral pelvic lymph node (LPLN) metastasis is one of the prominent reasons for local recurrence in patients with rectal neuroendocrine tumors. The evaluation criteria of lateral lymph node metastasis for patients and the indications and value of lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LPLD) have been controversial. Total mesorectal excision (TME), a conventional surgical treatment for RNET, excluding lateral lymph nodes, may be one of the reasons for postoperative local recurrence. This study aimed at analyzing the risk factors for LPLN metastasis in patients with RNET in order to guide surgical methods.Methods: We searched relevant databases (PubMed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Science) for articles published between January 1st, 2000, and April 1st, 2024 to evaluate the risk factors for LPLN metastasis in patients with RNET in this meta-analysis.Results: A total of 7 articles with 433 patients were included in this study. The overall results showed that WHO grade ＞ G1, tumor invasion of the muscularis propria or deeper, lymphovascular invasion(LVI), mesorectal lymph node metastasis (MLNM), distant metastasis (M1), were significant risk factors for LPLN metastasis in patients with RNET(P <0.05).Conclusion: This study identified key risk factors for LPLN metastasis in patients with RNET, providing guidance for treatment strategies. Comprehensive evaluation of these risk factors and imaging findings is recommended to tailor personalized treatment strategies that optimize survival outcomes and improve quality of life.

    Keywords: Rectal neuroendocrine tumors, lateral pelvic lymph node metastasis, Risk factors, Treatment, Meta-analysis

    Received: 23 Sep 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Chen and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dajian Zhu, Shunde Women and Children Hospital and Health Institute, Foshan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.