Is there a minimum number of lymph nodes that should be histologically assessed for a reliable nodal staging of T3N0M0 colorectal carcinomas?

Both approaches suggest that there is no cutoff value for the number of LNs to be examined for an adequate nodal staging; for a reliable pN0 staging, as many LNs should be assessed as possible. However, qualitative features of lymph nodes (e.g., those identified by sentinel lymphadenectomy) may alter this recommendation.