[Clinical outcome of radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection]

Between September, 1987 and September, 1993, a total of 44 consecutive patients had undergone radical retropubic prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer. The patients were between 56 and 77 years (mean, 68 years). Eleven patients had clinical state A2 disease, 21 had stage B disease, and 12 had stage C disease. Fourteen of the 44 patients (32%) had positive lymph node metastases. The 5-year survival rate for patients with pT1, pT2 and pT3 was 100%, 71% and 87%, respectively. It was 77% in patients with positive node disease and 90% in patients with negative node disease. The 5-year disease-free survival rate for patients with pT1, pT2 and pT3 was 82%, and 78%, respectively. It was 54% in patients with positive node disease and 88% in patients with negative node disease. In 14 positive node patients, metastases were located in obturater nodes in 8 patients (57%), hypogastric nodes, in 6 patients (43%), external iliac nodes in 6 patients (43%), common iliac nodes in 4 patients (29%) and presacral nodes in 2 patients (14%). We confirmed that radical retropubic prostatectomy is effective treatment for locally confined prostate cancer and removal of obturater, hypogastric lymph nodes and the internal chain of external iliac lymph nodes is important in detecting metastases.