Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Robot-assisted Total Mesorectal Excision and Lateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection for Locally Advanced Middle-low Rectal Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2022
Is pelvic lymph node dissection necessary in patients with biopsy proven Gleason 6 prostate cancer? - analysis of the
Michael Daugherty1, Dillon Sedaghatpour, Gennady Bratslavsky
1Department of Urology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Introduction:
Since the advent of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening there has been a decreased incidence of lymph node positive disease (LND). Nevertheless, because of possible upgrading, LND is frequently performed with preoperative Gleason 6 prostate cancer. We utilized the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database to evaluate the frequency of LND and preoperative variables for node positivity in contemporary patients with preoperative Gleason 6 disease.
Materials And Methods:
SEER-18 registries database was queried for all patients diagnosed with prostate cancer between the years 2010 and 2014. Patients were excluded that had unknown histology or unknown preoperative or postoperative Gleason score. We evaluated the rate of LND, Gleason upgrading, and node positive events.
Results:
There were 16,544 patients with preoperative Gleason 6 disease that met our inclusion criteria. Of these, 35.4% (5,856 patients) had LND and 64.6% (10,688 patients) did not. Gleason upgrade on final pathology was found in 51.9% and 45.0% of the LND and no LND cohorts, respectively. There were only 62 (1.1%) patients with node positive disease following LND. These patients had higher preoperative PSA and clinical stage disease.
Conclusion:
In a contemporary cohort of patients with preoperative Gleason 6 prostate cancer LND continues to be performed in about 35% of cases. Despite significant rate of Gleason upgrading on final pathology, only 1% will have node positive disease. With available data on morbidity of LND, the LND for preoperative Gleason 6 prostate in contemporary PSA screened cancer cohorts is likely not warranted.
More Related Videos
05:52Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping and Biopsy for Endometrial Cancer at Early Stage with Laparoscopy
Published on: August 19, 2021
12:53Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species
Published on: May 19, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Detailed Structure and Function of Lymph Nodes
From a histological perspective, lymph nodes can be split into two main areas: the superficial cortex and the deep medulla. The outer cortex is populated by dendritic cells, macrophages, and B lymphocytes, which are densely packed into follicles. When these B-lymphocytes are presented...
Node Analysis for AC Circuits
To unravel the complexities of this system, nodal analysis is employed, a powerful technique founded on Kirchhoff's current law (KCL), which remains valid for phasors. AC circuits can effectively be...
Cancer Survival Analysis
Muscles of the Pelvic Floor and Perineum
Perineal Layer
The perineum is a diamond-shaped area below the pelvic diaphragm, divided into an anterior urogenital triangle that contains the external genitals and a posterior anal triangle housing the anus. The urogenital...
Lymphatic Vessels and Lymph Transport
This one-way system allows fluids, solutes, and even pathogens to enter but prevents their return to the intercellular...
Fluid Connective Tissues: Blood and Lymph
Blood
The blood flows through blood vessels— arteries, capillaries, and veins. Blood plasma is primarily made of proteins, solutes, and...