Impact of external irradiation on local symptoms and survival free of disease in patients with pelvic lymph node metastasis from adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

Sixty-four patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate and histologic evidence of pelvic nodal metastasis have been followed for at least 5 years after pelvic lymphadenectomy only. Forty-seven patients were treated with extended field irradiation, while 17 did not receive any irradiation. Only 17 per cent of the patients receiving irradiation survived free of disease for 5 years, while 40 per cent died of prostatic cancer, compared to 29 and 35 per cent, respectively, of those who did not receive irradiation. Symptomatic manifestations of local disease occurred within 5 years in 65 per cent of the patients not treated with irradiation, compared to 51 per cent of those who received pelvic irradiation. External radiation therapy imparted no discernible benefit in terms of survival free of disease in our patients. Furthermore, the impact of irradiation in preventing local symptoms in these patients seems to be slight.