Objective: To determine the value of using carbon nanoparticle tracer in radical laparoscopic colon cancer surgery. Methods: Thirty-five patients with colon cancer were randomly designated to study group (15 cases) and control group (20 cases). Patients in study group underwent submucosal or subserosal injection of carbon nanoparticles around the tumor prior to radical laparoscopic colon cancer surgery, while those in control group underwent laparoscopic surgery directly. The main clinical variables and lymph node detection were compared between the two groups. Results: There was no statistical difference in length of incision, time to gas passage, time to postoperative food intake and length of hospital stay between the two groups (all P>0.05), but the operative time and intraoperative blood loss were significantly reduced in study group compared with control group (both P<0.05). Except the number of dissected paracolic lymph nodes that showed no statistical difference between the two groups (P=0.078), the total number of dissected lymph nodes, the number of lymph nodes <5 mm and number of positive lymph nodes in study group were all superior to those in control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: In radical laparoscopic colon cancer surgery, using carbon nanoparticle tracer technique can overcome the lack of tactile sense in the process of laparoscopic surgery, allow the combination of minimal invasiveness and precision, and significantly improve the lymph node detection rate.