Impact of separate versus en bloc pelvic lymph node dissection on the number of lymph nodes retrieved in cystectomy specimens Journal Article


Authors: Bochner, B. H.; Herr, H. W.; Reuter, V. E.
Article Title: Impact of separate versus en bloc pelvic lymph node dissection on the number of lymph nodes retrieved in cystectomy specimens
Abstract: Purpose: Pelvic lymphadenectomy during radical cystectomy yields a various number of lymph nodes depending on the extent of lymph node dissection and pathologist aggressiveness when searching the specimen. How the surgeon submits lymph nodes for pathological evaluation may also affect how many are retrieved. Materials and Methods: Bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection and radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder was performed in 32 patients. The extent of lymph node dissection involved standard and extended lymphadenectomy in 20 and 12 cases, respectively. In patients who underwent standard dissection unilateral en bloc submission of the lymph nodes was done with the contralateral lymph node dissection sent as an individual discrete packet. In those who underwent extended dissection all lymph nodes from each side were submitted en bloc or as 6 packets. Results: Standard lymphadenectomy en bloc specimens yielded a mean of 2.4 lymph nodes compared with 8.5 retrieved from individual lymph node specimens (p = 0.003). Extended lymphadenectomy en bloc specimens yielded a mean of 22.6 lymph nodes compared with 36.5 retrieved from the individually submitted packets (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Submitting pelvic lymph nodes as separate specimens optimizes pathological evaluation of the number of lymph nodes that may be involved with metastatic cancer. Such information is important for identifying patients who may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
Keywords: clinical article; cancer surgery; histopathology; lymph node metastasis; lymph node dissection; pelvis lymph node; lymph nodes; lymphatic metastasis; pelvis; lymph node excision; prospective studies; lymphadenectomy; pelvis lymphadenectomy; urinary bladder neoplasms; cystectomy; neoplasm metastasis; bladder carcinoma; transitional cell carcinoma; humans; human; priority journal; article
Journal Title: Journal of Urology
Volume: 166
Issue: 6
ISSN: 0022-5347
Publisher: Elsevier Science, Inc.  
Date Published: 2001-12-01
Start Page: 2295
End Page: 2296
Language: English
PUBMED: 11696756
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI: 10.1016/S0022-5347(05)65555-3
DOI/URL:
Notes: Export Date: 21 May 2015 -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Bernard Bochner
    470 Bochner
  2. Victor Reuter
    1229 Reuter
  3. Harry W Herr
    595 Herr