Mediastinal metastases from prostatic carcinoma

We reviewed the frequency of intrathoracic metastases of prostatic cancer at initial presentation in 1,435 patients seen from 1968 to 1978. Of these patients 75 (5.2 per cent) had intrathoracic metastases, including nodular metastases in 60 (4.2 per cent), mediastinal adenopathy in 9 (0.6 per cent), mediastinal adenopathy and pulmonary nodules in 3 (0.2 per cent), and lymphangitic pulmonary metastases in 3 (0.2 per cent). Mediastinal adenopathy in patients with metastatic carcinoma of the prostate has not been emphasized previously. Responses to therapy are described. In addition to the 9 patients with mediastinal adenopathy at presentation 7 had mediastinal metastases during the course of the disease.