Did your Surgery Include Lymph Node Disection

I would be interested to know if during DaVinci surgery your surgeon did a lymph node disection.  I have got conflicting opinions in my case.  In one case the surgeon said that with a Gleason 3+4 lymph nodes will not be part of the procedure, while another doctor says that lymph nodes need to be disected.

Reading post-op results, seems like in many cases radiation is required afterwards to the lymph nodes.  Am I reading wrong?  What is the consensus? 

Please also post your Gleason score and Stage.

I had open surgery and 13 were removed. Of which three tested positive so I am glad it was done.

thanks
Dale

You pretty much cannot. But you can pull it down and repost it.

Tony

Goodlife,
There are docs that still think that one node positive means cancel the surgery...A likely mistaken point of view in most cases. That was a common topic of discussion on this board when I joined the gang. Patients need to question things continuously as do the docs. I really don't know the answer to docs set in their ways. But a lack of flexible thinking by a doctor can be detectable by an educated patient. And the patient also needs to remain flexible as time moves on. Continuing education is very helpful and that further validates staying close to a board like this and also in live support groups.

Tony

I have wondered about this concerning my RALP. My URO told me he only takes the lymph nodes if he sees any evidence of capsule penetration during the surgery or if the nodes look suspicious. In my case he saw neither and took none of my nodes for dissection. I have wondered if this was the proper way to have proceeded, but in light of my pathology it probably was OK. Are there any side effects from removing lymph nodes?

Terry

I only had 3 nodes removed and really wish the surgeon had taken more.  It seems that HW posters like goodlife, brain surgeon, and others who had large numbers of nodes removed have had better outcomes than those of us who only had a few or none.   Probably too small of a sample size to draw that conclusion.

Carlos

I was Gleason 6 before surgery and they removed no nodes. I asked surgeon if they were going to remove any and he said no.

I went up to Gleason 3+4 after surgery and then had a rising PSA, but as SRT got the PSA down I feel okay about where I am and what was done.

Alf

Surgeon took out 4, 2 from each side. Stopped when all were negative.

Mine took 6 one side, 5 the other, and they did a quick "on-site" pathology on samples from each side. All were negative. My surgery was DaVinci.

My Uro didn't take any. When I asked why, he said that they looked "smooth" and that I had only a 5% chance of any being positive.

I was a G-9 which the surgeon knew going in and he had planned to remove some for biopsy. I don't know how many, but they were negative. However, about 10 days after surgery, I developed a "Lymphocete" something like that, a complication of removing lymph nodes, a fluid-filled abscess that was / became infected with staph that put me back in the hospital for a week then IV antibiotics at home for a month..A major set-back in my recovery..

So removing lymph nodes for biopsy does provide vital information, it does not come without risks of serious complications..The lymph fluid from the severed lymph ducts must go somewhere...

29 nodes, disected , negative. SE, pratt drain in for 4weeks, low grade fever, lymphocels showed up 2 mos post op selfdissolved after 2 weeks.

I had 23 removed (right) and 17 (left). All negative for cancer.