The significance of pelvic lymph node dissection in radical prostatectomy and its influence on the prognosis of patients with prostate cancer.

Background: Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is regarded as a crucial component of radical prostatectomy (RP); however, it also increases the probability of postoperative complications. This study aimed to investigate the significance of PLND in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Methods: A total of 1,474 patients with complete clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors of PLND and lymph node metastasis (LNM). Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance baseline characteristics between patients in different groups, along with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to explore the impact of PLND on oncological outcomes.

Results: Of the 1,474 patients, 956 (64.9%) underwent PLND, and 159 (16.6%) had LNM. The positive rate of lymph nodes in the extended PLND (ePLND) group was higher than that in the obturator resection group (20.58% vs. 10.05%, P<0.001). Multivariable Logistic regression showed that age, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade, clinical T stage and risk stratification were correlated with PLND during RP (P<0.05); ISUP grade, clinical T staging and risk stratification increased the risk of LNM (P<0.05). After PSM, patients in RP group had similar survival compared to the PLND group (P=0.80); the ePLND group and obturator resection group also achieved equivalent survival (P=0.16). Among lymph node-positive patients, the disease progression-free survival in the adjuvant therapy group seemed superior to the non-adjuvant therapy group (P<0.001); and the adjuvant therapy group had better survival than those without PLND (P=0.02).

Conclusions: ePLND is recommended for patients with indications of lymphadenectomy, which can significantly optimize the detection rate of positive lymph nodes and provide guidance for subsequent adjuvant therapy.