should the entire seminal vesicles be included in the clinical target volume?
PURPOSE: When treating high-risk prostate cancer with radiation therapy, inclusion of the seminal vesicles (SVs) within the clinical target volume (CTV) can dramatically increase the volume of radiated normal tissues and hinder dose escalation. Because cancer may involve only the proximal portion of the frequently lengthy SVs, we performed a complete pathology review of prostatectomy specimens to determine the appropriate length of SV to include within the CTV when SV treatment is indicated. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A detailed pathologic analysis was performed for 344 radical prostatectomy specimens (1987-2000). All slides from each case were reviewed by a single pathologist (N.S.G.). Factors recorded for each case included length of each SV (cm), length of cancer involvement in each SV (cm) measured from the prostate-SV junction, and percentage of SV length involved. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients (15%) demonstrated SV involvement in 81 SVs (21 unilateral, 30 bilateral SV involvement). The
