The Comparison of Minilaparotomy to Laparoscopic Surgery as Staging Pelvic Lymphadenectomy in Prostate Cancer

Chung, Kyung Jin; Choi, Han Yong

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of a minilaparotomy staging pelvic lymphadenectomy (mini-lap) in prostate cancer, the post-operative results of the mini-lap and the laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy in localized and locally advanced prostate cancer patients, were compared.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 36 prostate cancer patients who underwent a pelvic lymphadenectomy for cancer staging between, Dec. 1995 and Jun. 2002, were included. The minilaparotomy pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 19 patients, and the laparoscopic lymphadenectomy in 17. The clinical parameters, including the operation time, the number of dissected lymph nodes and the complication rates, were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS
The mean operation time of the mini-lap was 72 minutes, which was shorter than the 154 minutes of the laparoscopic surgery. The mean numbers of lymph nodes obtained from the mini-lap and the laparoscopic surgery were 5.7 and 4.3 from the right side, and 5.5 and 5.1 from the left side, respectively, which were not significantly different. Intra- operative or post-operative complications developed in 4 cases (21.1%) of the mini-lap group and in 6 cases (35.3%) of the laparoscopic surgery group; however, there was no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.093).
CONCLUSIONS
The post-operative results of the minilaparotomy pelvic lymphadenectomy, which has a small skin incision, were comparable to those of the laparoscopic lymphadenectomy. Therefore, the mini-lap can be easily and effectively used for pelvic lymph node staging in prostate cancer patients, and with less morbidity.