REVIEW   Free access

Minerva Urology and Nephrology 2022 December;74(6):680-94

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6051.22.04904-7

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Pelvic lymph node dissection in prostate and bladder cancers

Bernardo ROCCO ¹, Ahmed EISSA ² ✉, Giorgia GAIA ³, Simone ASSUMMA ⁴, Luca SARCHI ⁴, Giorgio BOZZINI ⁵, Salvatore MICALI ⁴, Tommaso CALCAGNILE ⁴, Maria C. SIGHINOLFI ¹

¹ Department of Urology, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; ² Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt; ³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, Milan, Italy; ⁴ Department of Urology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; ⁵ ASST Lariana, Como, Italy

Prostate cancer and bladder cancer accounts for approximately 13.5% and 3% of all male cancers and all newly diagnosed cancers (regardless sex), respectively. Thus, these cancers represent a major health and economic burden globally. The knowledge of lymph node status is an integral part of the management of any solid tumor. In the urological field, pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is of paramount importance in the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of prostate and bladder cancers. However, PLND may be associated with several comorbidities. In this narrative review, the most recent updates concerning the patterns and incidence of lymph node metastasis, the role of different imaging studies and nomograms in determining patients’ eligibility for PLND, and the anatomical templates of PLND in urologic patients with bladder or prostate cancer will be discussed.

KEY WORDS: Lymph node excision; Prostatic neoplasms; Urinary bladder neoplasms