Molecular lymph node staging in prostate and bladder cancer

A positive lymph node status is a major prognostic factor for tumor recurrence and mortality following radical prostatectomy in prostate cancer patients or radical cystectomy in bladder cancer patients. However, despite having histopathologic negative lymph nodes, a substantial proportion of patient suffers from tumor recurrence within a few years after the operation. Tumor recurrence in node-negative patients may result from hematogeneous or lymphatic metastatic spread which remains undetected by standard clinical or histopathologic examinations. Molecular lymph node analysis is a potential method for detection of lymph node metastases with higher sensitivity and for prognostic risk stratification of patients with histopathologic negative lymph nodes.