AIMS: To assess the lymph node content of anterior prostatic fat (APF) sent routinely at robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) and the incidence of positive nodes in the extended pelvic lymph node dissection. METHODS: Between September 2008 and April 2012, APF excised from 282 patients who underwent RALP was sent for pathological analysis. This tissue was completely embedded and lymph nodes counted. RESULTS: In total, 49/282 (17%) patients had lymph nodes in the APF, median lymph node yield in this tissue was 1 (range 1–5). In four patients, the lymph nodes contained metastatic deposits. These patients did not have positive nodes elsewhere in the extended lymph node dissection. CONCLUSIONS: APF contains lymph nodes in 1 in 6 patients and infrequently these may be malignant. APF should always be removed at radical prostatectomy. APF should be routinely sent for pathological analysis.
AIMS: To assess the lymph node content of anterior prostatic fat (APF) sent routinely at robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) and the incidence of positive nodes in the extended pelvic lymph node dissection. METHODS: Between September 2008 and April 2012, APF excised from 282 patients who underwent RALP was sent for pathological analysis. This tissue was completely embedded and lymph nodes counted. RESULTS: In total, 49/282 (17%) patients had lymph nodes in the APF, median lymph node yield in this tissue was 1 (range 1–5). In four patients, the lymph nodes contained metastatic deposits. These patients did not have positive nodes elsewhere in the extended lymph node dissection. CONCLUSIONS: APF contains lymph nodes in 1 in 6 patients and infrequently these may be malignant. APF should always be removed at radical prostatectomy. APF should be routinely sent for pathological analysis.
Authors: Young Suk Kwon; Yun-Sok Ha; Parth K Modi; Amirali Salmasi; Jaspreet S Parihar; Neal Patel; Izak Faiena; Michael May; David I Lee; Elton Llukani; Tuliao Patrick; Koon Ho Rha; Thomas Ahlering; Douglas Skarecky; Hanjong Ahn; Seung-Kwon Choi; Sejun Park; Seong Soo Jeon; Yen-Chuan Ou; Daniel Eun; Varsha Manucha; David Albala; Ketan Badani; Bertram Yuh; Nora Ruel; Tae-Hwan Kim; Tae Gyun Kwon; Daniel Marchalik; Jonathan Hwang; Wun-Jae Kim; Isaac Yi Kim Journal: BMC Urol Date: 2015-08-01 Impact factor: 2.264