Management of Pathologic Node-Positive Prostate Cancer following Radical Prostatectomy

Purpose of ReviewApproximately 15% of prostate cancer patients have lymph node metastases at the time of radical prostatectomy (RP). However, there is no universally accepted standard of care for these men. The options for treatment in this subset of patients range from observation to a combination of adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (aADT) and radiation therapy (RT).Recent FindingsA recent systematic review showed that there was no clear choice out of the options above to treat these patients. Studies have shown that patients treated with adjuvant radiation therapy have lower all-cause mortality when compared to patients treated with salvage radiation therapy.In this review, we summarize treatment options for pathologic node-positive (pN1) patients and discuss the urgent need for robust clinical trials that includes observation as the control group to help establish a standard of care for treating patients with node-positive prostate cancer after RP.

Automated summary

About 15% of prostate cancer patients have lymph node metastases at the time of radical prostatectomy, but there is no universally accepted standard of care for these patients. Treatment options range from observation to a combination of adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy and radiation therapy. Recent studies show that patients treated with adjuvant radiation therapy have lower mortality rates.