Implications of Volume of Nodal Metastasis in Patients with Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

Abstract

Cases (73) of pelvic nodal metastases from prostatic cancer were divided into subgroups based upon the volume and extent of nodal disease. Of the patients with gross nodal disease 15% survived 5 yr without progression compared to 27% of those with microscopic involvement of > 1 node and 44% with a single positive node. On the other hand, 52% of the patients with gross disease died of prostatic cancer within 5 yr compared to 37% of those with multiple microscopic nodes and 28% with a single node. Although other variables also influence prognosis, the differences in survival demonstrable within these subgroups may have important implications regarding selection of therapy and interpretation of treatment results.