The role of lymphography in "apparently localized" prostatic carcinoma.

The preliminary results of an ongoing protocol which is attempting to determine the incidence of lymph node metastasis in unselected patients with previously untreated "apparently localized" carcinoma of the prostate are briefly presented. All patients have disease confined to the prostate gland or periprostatic bed, without evidence of metastasis by standard clinical, laboratory, and radiographic (excluding lymphography) tests. Following lymphography, a "staging laparotomy" is performed which permits histologic documentation of lymph node metastais and provides data for the evaluation of lymphographic accuracy.