Iliopelvic lymphoscintigraphy as a predictor of early metastatic disease in patients with prostate carcinoma.

ABSTRACT

Fifty-one patients had iliopelvic lymphoscintigraphy (IPL) as part of the initial assessment of newly diagnosed prostate carcinoma over a 3-year period. Investigations other than IPL showed that all patients had disease confined to the prostate, and they received radiotherapy to the prostate and regional pelvic lymph nodes. Patients with complete absence of activity in an iliac chain on IPL were excluded from the analysis because that finding could have resulted from tumor replacement or a failed injection. Of the remaining 41 patients, 12 had abnormal scintigrams, and 6 (50%) had recurrence within a mean 15-month follow-up period. Of 29 patients with normal scintigrams, 26 (90%) remain disease free over an average 27-month follow-up period.