Extended pelvic lymphadenectomy for prostatic cancer.

Thirty patients with clinically localized prostatic carcinoma underwent extended pelvic lymph-adenectomy, including the presacral and presciatic (lateral sacral) areas. The first echelon of pelvic nodes to be involved by metastases was the external iliac, obturator, presacral and presciatic. The deep presacral-presciatic nodes were involved almost as often as the more superficial external iliac-obturator group. Metastases limited only to the deep pelvic nodes were found in 14 per cent of the cases.