The significance of pelvic lymph node dissection in radical prostatectomy and its influence on the prognosis of patients with prostate cancer

Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is regarded as a crucial component of radical prostatectomy (RP); however, it also increases the probability of postoperative complications. This study aimed to investigate the significance of PLND in the treatment of prostate cancer. A total of 1,474 patients with complete clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors of PLND and lymph node metastasis (LNM). Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance baseline characteristics between patients in different groups, along with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to explore the impact of PLND on oncological outcomes. Of the 1,474 patients, 956 (64.9%) underwent PLND, and 159 (16.6%) had LNM. The positive rate of lymph nodes in the extended PLND (ePLND) group was higher than that in the obturator resection group (20.58% 10.05%, P