The definition and significance of tumor deposits (TDs) have evolved over the years. An estimated 20% of patients with colon cancer have TDs,1 and previous studies have established the presence of TDs as a poor prognostic factor, particularly among patients with stage III colon cancer.2,3 However, in the current American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging system, the presence of TDs only impacts staging if no lymph nodes (LNs) are positive, and then, there is only 1 designation: N1c. When LN metastases are present, TDs are not acknowledged within the classification system at all.
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