HE (Hematoxylin and Eosin) staining was used for pathological verification of suspicious nodes found during surgery. The suspicious nodes occurred in surgery were isolated and fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde for 12 h, embedded in parafﬁn and cut into 3-µm serial sections. Corresponding sections were stained with hematoxylin (BASO Diagnostics Inc. Zhuhai) for 10 min at room temperature. Then, sections were washed with running water. Subsequently, sections were washed with Scott promote blue liquid for 1 min, 1% hydrochloric acid alcohol differentiation liquid for 20 s, and Scott promote blue liquid for 1 min. Then, sections were stained with eosin (BASO Diagnostics Inc. Zhuhai) for 30 s. Sections were washed with running water and sealed for observation. Finally, sections were observed by Image-Pro Plus 5.0 software (Media Cybernetics, Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA).