LAPAROSCOPIC PELVIC LYMPHADENECTOMY - POTENTIAL FOR STAGING OF BLADDER-TUMORS

Laparoscopic surgical procedures are being evaluated in urologic diseases including bladder cancer. Patients with apparently localized tumors may have lymph node involvement indicating disseminated disease for which locoregional treatments are inadequate. Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy may be useful for staging, since neither noninvasive procedures nor intraoperative examination of lymph nodes removed during cystectomy are completely reliable. The technique is described in detail. Benefits in bladder cancer patients remain to be determined.