NTTS 2017

Anatomic studies and experience with lymphadenectomy have demonstrated that the lymph drainage for prostate and bladder cancers is wide, bilateral and unpredictable. Clinical trials in muscle invasive bladder cancer patients generally indicate a prognostic and therapeutic benefit of extended bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy during radical cystectomy compared to patients who undergo a limited pelvic lymphadenectomy during radical cystectomy. The therapeutic benefit of pelvic lymphadenectomy for men undergoing radical prostatectomy is less clear and a heated topic of debate among urological surgeons. In either disease, lymphadenectomy is time consuming and adds to morbidity. The need for sentinel lymph node technique is badly needed. Technology is available now using robot-assisted surgery which open the door for identifying sentinel node metastasis in patients with bladder cancer and prostate cancer.