Radical Prostatectomy with Pelvic Lymphadenectomy: Observations on the Accuracy of Staging with Lymph Node Frozen Sections

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Abstract
The accuracy of intraoperative frozen section examination of excised lymph nodes was analyzed in 40 consecutive patients with clinical stages A2, B1 and B2 adenocarcinoma of the prostate who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy immediately before anticipated radical prostatectomy. Lymph node metastases were observed with frozen sections and verified with paraffin sections in 5 cases (13%). Among the 35 patients with negative frozen sections, lymph node metastases were found with paraffin sections in 3 cases (9%). Despite the potential for false negative findings, intraoperative frozen sections probably constitute a practical method of pathologic staging prior to radical prostatectomy.