Fig. 3
From: Challenges with colorectal cancer staging: results of an international study
Staging of neoadjuvant-treated rectal carcinoma (all these figures were included in the survey). a Viable tumor cells (arrow) floating in mucin pools in the submucosa, with the same mucin pools (with no epithelium) extending into the muscularis propria was staged as ypT1 by 65% respondents, and 35% staged ypT2. b Viable tumor cells (arrow) floating in mucin pools identified in the muscle wall, but with the same mucin pools extending into the mesorectum was staged as ypT2 by 63% and as ypT3 by 37%. c Viable tumor cells in the mucin pools identified in the mesorectal fat (>1 mm from the radial margin), with the same mucin pool extending up to the radial margin was considered as positive radial margin by 33% of respondents. d Lymph node of treated rectal cancer show only viable tumor (measuring <0.2 mm, marked by arrow) within a big mucin pool. 76% staged this as ypN1 and 24% assigned ypN0 (with isolated tumor cells). (a, b, d H&E ×100; c H&E ×200)
