[Lymph Node Metastasis to the Prostatic Anterior Fat Pad in the Patients Treated with Prostatectomy]

We investigated the prostatic anterior fat pad (PAFP) for the presence of lymph nodes and lymph node metastases after excision during radical prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer. From November 2013 to May 2017, 215 patients underwent radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer at our institution. PAFP was removed and sent for pathological analysis routinely to evaluate the presence of lymph nodes and lymph node metastases. Of the 215 patients, 20 (9.3%) had lymph nodes in the PAFP. Among the 20 patients with lymph nodes in the PAFP, 2 patients (10.0% ; 0.9% of all patients) were positive for metastatic prostate cancer. These patients did not have positive nodes elsewhere among the pelvic lymph nodes. There was no significant difference in the clinicopathological features between the patients with lymph nodes in the PAFP and those with no lymph nodes in the PAFP. The present findings are similar to those in the Western population. Considering the very low rate of lymph node metastasis in PAFP, it is necessary to discuss which patients should be selected for pathological analysis of PAFP.