Reply to the letter to the editor: RE: Preisser F, et al. Extent of lymph node dissection improves survival in prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy without lymph node invasion. The Prostate. 2018;1‐7

Association between pelvic lymph node dissection and survival among patients with prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy

“…reported that the number of nodes removed during PLND was inversely related with cancer-specific mortality in PCa patients either with or without the presence of lymph node invasion. 8 , 9 It should be noted that more extensive PLND enables greater accuracy when staging PCa, ensuring sufficient lymph node yield during PLND to properly diagnose node-positive patients. 29 Thus, subsequent treatment of these patients with adjuvant or salvage therapies such as radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) may lead to the observed survival outcomes, rather than any intrinsic therapeutic benefit of PLND.…”

“… 7 However, the oncologic benefits of PLND remain uncertain. 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 …”