Hematolymphoid malignancies diagnosed at the time of radical prostatectomy

Purpose: The clinical impact of hematolymphoid malignancies discovered during radical prostatectomy has not been previously defined to our knowledge. Materials and Methods: From October 1988 to September 1995, 1,092 patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy. Results: Of 1,092 radical prostatectomy specimens, 13 (1.2%) were found to have hematologic malignancies involving the prostate and/or lymph nodes sampled during concomitant pelvic lymph node dissection. The malignancies detected included Hodgkin's disease (3) and hairy cell leukemia (1), which required further therapy. However, 9 of the 13 patients (62%) demonstrated either chronic lymphocytic leukemia (3) or low grade, small lymphocytic lymphoma (6), which requires symptomatic treatment only. The transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsies revealed suspicious lymphocytic infiltrate in addition to prostatic adenocarcinoma in 2 of the 13 patients (15%). Conclusions: The majority of hematologic malignancies discovered at radical prostatectomy do not require further treatment and should not delay treatment of prostatic adenocarcinoma.