Extended Salvage Pelvic and Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection due to Prostate Cancer Relapse

Treatment of a biochemical prostate cancer relapse represents a difficult clinical dilemma, which has remained without a definitive solution so far. Based on clinical studies, we combine radical prostatectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection in intermediate and high risk patients as a routine procedure at our clinic. In this paper, we report on a case of extended salvage lymphadenectomy performed due to biochemical prostate cancer recurrence. The 56-year-old patient came to our clinic in April 2012 with a finding of lymph node metastasis according to PET-CT imaging. Laparoscopic radical retropubic prostatectomy with lymphadenectomy had been performed in 2008 [pT3a, N0 (0/4), M0, R0, GS 5 +4 = 9, iPSA 26.67 ng/mL], and followed by radiotherapy as of September 2009. The extended salvage lymphadenectomy was performed in April 2012 due to a PSA-level rise up to 24 ng/mL and the aforementioned PET-CT findings. A total of 22 lymph nodes were removed, among them 3 lymph nodes with metastases. In the fossa obturatoria on the right we identified a walnut-size lymph node relapse with tumour necrosis, which fully corresponded to the PET-CT scan. The PSA level subsequently dropped to 0.4 ng/mL postoperatively, and further to the current value of 0.02 ng/mL (August 2012).