Background: The prognostic significance of identifying lymph node metastasis in cancer colon and rectum is of great importance. There is an association between the number of lymph nodes in the resection specimen and survival particularly in node negative cancer.  Aim: This study aims at comparing the number of lymph nodes harvested in open and laparoscopic colorectal surgery for colorectal cancer.  Patients and methods: This is a prospective study involving 40 patients with left sided colonic cancer and rectal cancer. The patients were divided into equal 4 groups: Group (1A): patients who underwent open left hemicolectomy or sigmoidectomy Group (1B): Patients who underwent laparoscopic left hemicolectomy or sigmoidectomy Group (2A): Patients who underwent open anterior or low anterior resection Group (2B): Patients who underwent laparoscopic anterior or low anterior resection Histopathological examination of the retrieved specimens and assessment of the number of lymph nodes was done. Data was compared among different groups.  Results: In laparoscopic procedures, more lymph nodes were retrieved than in open surgery with statistically significant difference (p-value 0.019). The mean SD of number of lymph nodes retrieved was 14 in the laparoscopic group versus 10.5 in the open group.  Conclusion: Laparoscopic resection of left sided colorectal cancer yields adequate samples of lymph nodes number that are comparable to those obtained by open surgery.