Lymphadenectomy
is the surgical removal of a lymph node or a group of
regional lymph nodes. The removal and subsequent dissection
of the lymph nodes is the only way for a pathologist
to determine whether the prostate cancer has metastasized
to the regional lymph nodes. During radical retropubic
prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer,
the surgeon will perform a lymphadenectomy on the lymph
nodes surrounding the bladder. A pathologist will examine
the lymph nodes for prostate cancer metastasis. If the
pathologist finds metastasis to the lymph nodes, the
prostatectomy will be stopped because the removal of
the prostate gland is effective only for localized prostate
cancer.
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