Will a pelvic lymphadenectomy be performed at the time of radical prostatectomy?
Prostate cancer has a propensity to spread to the pelvic lymph nodes. For this reason, the pelvic lymph nodes are often removed at the time of radical prostatectomy (known as pelvic lymphadenectomy). Because the risk of pelvic lymph node metastasis is exceedingly rare in men with low-risk disease, it is controversial whether these patients require a pelvic lymphadenectomy. All men with intermediate- or high-risk disease, however, must undergo a pelvic lymphadenectomy. If the prostate cancer is found to have grossly spread to the pelvic lymph nodes, the radical prostatectomy is often aborted.
