Skip to main content
2026 ASCRS Annual Scientific Meeting Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
CME
CME
Invitation/Ticketed Event
Invitation/Ticketed Event
Invited Lectureship
Invited Lectureship
Award Recipient
Award Recipient
Live Streamed Session
Live Streamed Session
Nurses Contact Hours
Nurses Contact Hours
Self-Assessment
Self-Assessment
Live Q&A and Polling
Live Q&A and Polling
Social
Social
Industry
Industry

Session:: ePosters-Sun1230-M6: Colon & Colorectal Cancer

EP417 - Real-time indocyanine green fluorescence imaging boosts precision of lymph node dissection in laparoscopic colon cancer surgery

Sunday, May 10, 2026
1:02 PM - 1:07 PM ET

    ePoster Presenter(s)

  • Yu Sato, MD, PhD, FASCRS

    Lectuer
    Toho University, Sakura Medical Center
    Toho University
    Sakura, Chiba, Japan

    Disclosure information not submitted.

    View ePoster

    • Senior Author(s)

  • IT

    Ichiro Takemasa, MD

    Assistant to the Director
    Osaka Keisatsu Hospital
    Osaka, Osaka, Japan

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Purpose/Background: Complete mesocolic excision and D3 lymphadenectomy are essential for curative colon cancer surgery. However, identifying the optimal mesenteric dissection plane remains challenging. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging using indocyanine green (ICG) enables real-time visualization of lymphatic flow, potentially enhancing surgical precision. The objective of this study is to evaluate the utility of ICG-NIR fluorescence guidance for precise lymph node dissection during laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer.

Methods/Interventions: Patients with stage II-III colon cancer who underwent laparoscopic colectomy with D3 lymphadenectomy, either with (NIR group, n=62) or without (non-NIR group, n=66) ICG guidance, were retrospectively compared using propensity score matching. ICG (2.5mg/mL) was injected submucosally near the tumor preoperatively. Fluorescent lymph nodes were identified and dissected intraoperatively. Outcomes included 3-year relapse-free survival, total and apical lymph node yield, operative time, blood loss, and postoperative complication.

Results/Outcomes: After propensity score matching, 47 patients were included in each group. Total lymph node yield tended to be higher in the NIR group (27.0±11.2 vs. 23.5±9.7; p=0.111), while the number of apical lymph nodes harvested was significantly greater (6.5±4.0 vs. 3.6±2.9; p< 0.001). Operative time was comparable between the groups (317 [178-732] min vs. 299 [146-528] min; p=0.661), whereas estimated blood loss was significantly lower in the NIR group (5 vs. 60 mL, p< 0.001). Postoperative complications tended to occur less frequently (6% vs. 19%, p=0.120). The 3-year relapse free survival and overall survival rates were 79.4% and 90.0% in the NIR group and 76.5% and 81.1% in the non-NIR group, respectively (p=0.879 and 0.242).

Conclusion/Discussion: ICG-NIR fluorescence-guided laparoscopic colectomy enhances the precision of lymph node dissection and mesocolic excision, increases apical lymph node yield, and may improve surgical safety and efficiency, although no survival advantage was observed.