Do they normally do a pelvic lymph node dissection with surgery?

@billfarm wrote "On the other hand i recently read a cautionary article about negative effects on the lymphatic system by removing too many lymph nodes in a given location."

That was a part of my surgeon's calculus. Despite having a high Decipher score, I had a relatively low-% favorable intermediate cancer, a PSA under 7, and a PSMA PET that showed no visible signs of spread, so he targeted only 5 LNs in the area his team considered most likely for regional spread.

I asked whether the Decipher score warranted more aggressive sampling but he said it was his opinion that the downsides of dissecting more started to outweigh the clinical value given the rest of my profile.

A higher grade or greater % cancer, or any number of other factors, could have argued for a larger number of LNs to be sampled, of course.

@ginger38314 I'm now 15 months out and PSA is where we want it to be, so I'm taking it 3 months at a time.

Many doctors will remove six or seven Lymph nodes, even if they show nothing in a scan. Some people have gotten lymphedema when they’ve had too many lymph nodes removed, Or just had them removed without sealing them properly. I can cause a little or a lot of problems. It just varies a lot from person to person.

When I had my surgery 16 years ago, With a 3+4, They didn’t remove any lymph nodes.

Here’s some medical information I capture about this subject.

"Lymph nodes aren't just passive waiting rooms for immune cells, they actively train and educate T cells, and send them off to do their job," said Professor Axel Kallies, PhD, Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute and the corresponding author on both studies. "Our research suggests that removing lymph nodes during cancer surgery, a common practice to prevent tumor spread, may inadvertently reduce the effectiveness of treatments, such as checkpoint blockade and CAR T cell therapies. Preserving lymph nodes could strengthen immune responses and increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy."

But what are lymph nodes, and what do they do?
Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs scattered throughout the body that act as checkpoints of the immune system. They filter lymph fluid, which drains from tissues, trapping and destroying germs, cancer cells, and other harmful material. Inside, lymph nodes are packed with immune cells like T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells that communicate, train, and multiply in response to threats

Many doctors will remove six or seven Lymph nodes, even if they show nothing in a scan. Some people have gotten lymphedema when they’ve had too many lymph nodes removed, Or just had them removed without sealing them properly. I can cause a little or a lot of problems. It just varies a lot from person to person.

When I had my surgery 16 years ago, With a 3+4, They didn’t remove any lymph nodes.

Here’s some medical information I capture about this subject.

"Lymph nodes aren't just passive waiting rooms for immune cells, they actively train and educate T cells, and send them off to do their job," said Professor Axel Kallies, PhD, Laboratory Head at the Doherty Institute and the corresponding author on both studies. "Our research suggests that removing lymph nodes during cancer surgery, a common practice to prevent tumor spread, may inadvertently reduce the effectiveness of treatments, such as checkpoint blockade and CAR T cell therapies. Preserving lymph nodes could strengthen immune responses and increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy."

But what are lymph nodes, and what do they do?
Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs scattered throughout the body that act as checkpoints of the immune system. They filter lymph fluid, which drains from tissues, trapping and destroying germs, cancer cells, and other harmful material. Inside, lymph nodes are packed with immune cells like T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells that communicate, train, and multiply in response to threats

How are you doing now and how extensive was your cancer.