Pelvic Lymph Node Study

[Nwdx]

"Review suggests many men with early prostate cancer may not need lymph node removal."

"Doing so may help them avoid harmful side effects, such as disabling lymphedema.

But even more importantly, leaving the pelvic nodes intact might also boost the success of newer immune-based cancer drugs, the experts suspect.

The bottom line: "It is perhaps time to rethink whether lymph nodes are truly foes or friends in the oncologic management of prostate cancer," said senior study author Dr. Ash Tewari, chair of urology at Icahn Mount Sinai in New York City."

medicalxpress.com/news/2024...

[MoonRocket]

I believe most Urologist are not performing extended lymph node dissection anymore. Just enough to determine micro metastatic disease and help with future treatments. I know I only had 12 removed, 7 on the right and 5 on the left.1 returned positive on the right.

[fast_eddie]

Thanks for that. I learn something new every day on this forum.

[NanoMRI]

Well, I considered my pelvic lymph nodes as friends, catching and holding most of my remaining cancer after RP and salvage RT.

So I had my friends removed by salvage extended pelvic lymph node dissection using the frozen section pathology method. Of thirty-one nodes removed, six were cancerous including common iliac and para-aortic, yielding a post surgery nadir of <0.010 (that pesky ultrasensitive thing).

That ePLND was over six year ago. I then added one year of bicalutamide for added insurance. My decision then was to remove majority of tumor burden and hopefully delay, if it comes to it, the need for ADT and thereby the possible need for chemo. Today, six years later, holding very low stable 0.03X range, and investigation a concerning liver lesion identified by recent Pylarify PSMA.

Now, interesting side-bar is cujole post "Risk Management...."