Therapeutic role of pelvic lymphadenectomy in carcinoma of the prostate: own experiences.

Precise determination of the extent of lymph node involvement is of decisive importance for therapy of prostatic cancer. For this reason staging pelvic lymphadenectomy is fully indicated. Some authors expect from pelvic lymphadenectomy a therapeutic effect, too. The procedure is performed as a part of radical prostatectomy or before radiation therapy. In the period 1978 to 1984 the authors followed two groups of patients treated with external radiotherapy using betatron Brown-Boveri. Group A--irradiation only, Group B--irradiation after previous en bloc pelvic lymphadenectomy. The total number of 0-7-year survival was 56% in Group A and 76% in Group B. In Group B no difference was found in survival of patients with negative or positive nodes. In Group A--with an error in determining N category of lymphography--the survival of patients with negative nodes was significantly higher. Five-year survival was 46% in Group A and 65% in Group B.