Can we rely on PET in the follow-up of advanced seminoma patients?

The management of residuals after completion of chemotherapy in advanced seminoma is controversial. It has been proposed that fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) can be used as a follow-up. In this study we investigated FDG-PET as a follow-up tool in advanced seminoma patients treated previously with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Thirty-seven patients assigned to an advanced seminoma group based on CT and/or FDG-PET/CT and then treated with chemotherapy were included in the study. All these patients underwent FDG-PET/CT examination as a part of the follow-up scheme. Patients underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), radiotherapy, or were followed clinically by CT and/or PET/CT every 6 months. In 8 cases FDG-PET was positive: 5 of them underwent RPLND and 3 radiotherapy. Two patients with negative FDG-PET but positive CT also underwent RPLND. The remaining patients with negative FDG-PET results were followed up. FDG-PET/CT was false positive in one case >3 cm and one <3 cm, in 6 cases >3 cm it was true negative. While FDG-PET can find a viable tumor, there also is an important question of false positive results. It was clinically proven that a negative FDG-PET was correlated with stable disease, but we were unable to examine specimens in these cases.

Lymph node dissection during laparoscopic (LRC) and open (ORC) radical cystectomy due to muscle invasive bladder urothelial cancer (pT2-3, TCC).

AIM: The aim of the study was to compare the number of nodes dissected during laparoscopic and open radical cystoprostatectomy in men or anterior exenteration in women due to muscle invasive bladder urothelial cancer (IBC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients treated with laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) and 63 with open radical cystectomy (ORC) were compared. The LRC group consisted of 47 pT2 tumours and 4 pT3, while the ORC group was composed of 27 pT2 tumours and 36 pT3. During ORC external, internal, common iliac and obturator lymph nodes were removed separately, but were added and analysed together for each side. Nodes dissected from one side during ORC were compared to en bloc dissected nodes in the LRC group. RESULTS: There were no complications associated with extended pelvic lymph node dissection during LRC or ORC. There were significant differences in the mean number of resected lymph nodes between LRC and ORC for pT2 tumours. The laparoscopic approach allowed about 8-9 more lymph nodes to be removed than open surgery in the pT2 group. In 15% of patients with pT2 disease treated with open radical cystectomy node metastases were observed. Active disease was detected in 18% of nodes resected laparoscopically due to pT2 disease. Fourty-seven percentage of patients with pT3 disease treated with open surgery were diagnosed as harbouring metastatic lymph nodes. The laparoscopic group with pT3 disease was too small to analyse. CONCLUSIONS: We have found that laparoscopic radical cystectomy can be performed without any compromise in lymph node dissection. The technique of lymph node dissection (LND) during laparoscopic cystectomy (LRC) resulted in sufficient resected lymphatic tissue, especially in patients with bladder-confined tumours with a low volume of lymph nodes.