Radical prostatectomy (RP) is the surgical standard treatment for men with localized prostate cancer (PCa) and a life expectancy of > 10 years. RP is a treatment option for localized PCa that shows benefit in prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) and overall survival compared to conservative management. According to the guideline recommendations of the European Association of Urology (EAU), RP should be accompanied by extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) in patients with intermediate-risk PCa (D'Amico classification) and > 5% nomogram (Briganti) predicted risk of positive lymph nodes and in all high-risk PCa cases.~Besides an improved accuracy in staging, the therapeutic role of ePLND remains controversial. The primary goal of this trial is to provide high-level evidence regarding the therapeutic benefit of ePLND in intermediate- and high-risk PCa patients without clinical evidence of nodal involvement. It is hypothesized that ePLND prolongs time to biochemical recurrence (BCR) and prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) in intermediate- and high-risk PCa patients.
For patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer plus a predicted risk of >5% for positive lymph nodes and with high-risk prostate cancer, international guidelines recommend ePLND along with the RP. Besides an improved accuracy in staging, the therapeutic role of ePLND remains controversial. We hypothesize that ePLND prolongs time to biochemical recurrence (BCR) and prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) in intermediate- and high-risk PCa patients.