[Resection of metastases from prostate cancer]

Surgical resection of a solitary or a limited number of metastases is a controversy in patients with prostate cancer that is increasingly being discussed. The improved accuracy of the detection of local or distant recurrences after primary treatment using modern imaging techniques including choline PET/CT led to an increased demand for salvage surgical procedures. Apart from the resection of synchronous metastases at the time of radical prostatectomy the oncological efficacy of a salvage lymphadenectomy or a salvage resection of visceral or osseous metastases remains to be proven. Here, the available data covering the different clinical scenarios for the resection of metastases in prostate cancer and recommendations of recently published guidelines are reviewed.