Pelvic Lymph Node Status as Predictor of Extracapsular Tumor Extension in Clinical Stage B Prostatic Cancer

Abstract

To examine the accuracy of normal pelvic lymph node status in identifying patients with clinical stage B prostatic cancer not having extracapsular tumor extension, 63 consecutive patients (39 stage B1 and 24 stage B2) treated with radical prostatectomy were reviewed. Ten percent of the patients with stage B1 lesions (tumor involving 1 lobe) and 38% with stage B2 lesions (tumor involving both lobes) had extracapsular extension. Extracapsular tumor extension was more common in patients with larger, less differentiated lesions. A negative pelvic lymphadenectomy apparently does not exclude with a high degree of confidence extracapsular tumor extension in patients with clinical stage B2 prostatic cancer.