NEGATIVE DISEASE BASED ON THE RESULTS OF ROUTINE TISSUE EXAMINATION. A TOTAL OF 3,914 LYMPH NODES FROM THE NODE-NEGATIVE PATIENTS, AN AVERAGE OF 21.7 NODES PER PATIENT, WERE THEN EVALUATED FOR HIDDEN METASTASES USING IMMUNOCHEMICAL METHODS, WHICH LOOKED FOR PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) AND CERTAIN ANTIBODIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CANCER. THE RESULTS REVEALED HIDDEN TUMOR CELLS IN 24 PATIENTS (13.3 PERCENT), ACCORDING TO THE TEAM. COMPARED WITH PATIENTS WITHOUT HIDDEN TUMOR CELLS IN THE LYMPH NODES, THE PRESENCE OF THESE CELLS MORE THAN DOUBLED THE RISK OF PROSTATE CANCER RECURRENCE AND MORTALITY. THESE FINDINGS MAY HAVE "PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS" FOR THE EARLY INITIATION OF SYSTEMIC TREATMENT AFTER PROSTATE CANCER SURGERY IN PATIENTS WITH LOCALIZED PROSTATE CANCER AND WHOSE LYMPH NODES APPEAR TO BE NEGATIVE USING ROUTINE TISSUE ANALYSIS, COTE AND COLLEAGUES CONCLUDE.
