The mesocolic apical fragment in complete mesocolic excision colectomies: Should it be analysed separately? A proof-of-concept study.
Cristian LivadaruStefan MorarasuRoxana BargaoanuStefan IacobTudor FrunzaAna Maria MusinaNatalia VelenciucCristian Ene RoataFlorin Zugun-EloaeDan FerariuSorinel LuncaMihail-Gabriel DimoftePublished in: Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (2022)
The MAF can be easily extracted from standard specimens, allowing for accurate analysis of lymphatic and extra-nodal tumour cells on the central resection margins, in central LNs and in the apical mesocolic tissue. Future research on larger cohorts is required to establish if analysing the MAF has an impact on patient staging, prognosis and management.