Radiotherapeutic treatment of prostatic carcinoma with pelvic node involvement.

Resolution of pelvic lymph node metastases following irradiation can be demonstrated clinically by relief of obstructive symptoms and objectively by shrinkage of adenopathy as demonstrated by lymphography. Nevertheless, survival following nodal irradiation for patients with surgically proved pelvic or periaortic adenopathy or both at 10 years is only 20 per cent, whereas without adenopathy it is nearly 80 per cent. In spite of this relatively low level of survival, the firm documentation of survival without evidence of lymph node disease in 9 of 60 patients is ample justification for irradiation of regional lymphatics in these high-risk patients.