The role of lymphadenectomy in minimally invasive urologic oncology

Growing data suggest that lymphadenectomy is a critical component of the surgical management of urologic malignancies with both diagnostic and therapeutic benefit. The increased use of minimally invasive approaches for the management of urologic malignancies may be in conflict with the need for more extensive lymphadenectomy with these procedures. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current evidence for lymphadenectomy as a staging and/or therapeutic procedure for urologic oncology procedures, summarize the feasibility of lymphadenectomy for these disease processes using a minimally invasive approach, and make recommendations regarding management of these disease processes using minimally invasive approaches. A literature review using MESH terms to identify literature on lymphadenectomy in urologic oncology (including minimally invasive urologic oncology procedures) was performed. This literature was the summarized by disease process and by its relation to minimally invasive procedures. The literature demonstrates that lymphadenectomy can successfully duplicate that performed for open urologic oncology procedures. The application of minimally invasive approaches, however, requires advanced skills to be able to accomplish this.