Incidental findings in pelvic lymph nodes at radical prostatectomy.

AIMS To assess the frequency and cause of incidental (non-metastatic) lymph node pathology discovered before or at radical prostatectomy. METHODS Eight hundred and fifty four consecutive lymphadenectomies received between 1988 and 2001 were reviewed. All had been processed and stained routinely. Additional techniques, indicated by morphology, were then performed. RESULTS Incidental pathology was found in 15 cases: florid sinus histiocytosis following prosthetic joint replacement (eight), non-caseating granulomas (three), small lymphocytic cell lymphoma (two), follicular lymphoma (one), and foreign body reaction (one). Incidental pathology was present in 1.8% of 854 patients who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy during radical prostatectomy. CONCLUSION Awareness of possible non-metastatic lymph node pathology aids histological diagnosis and may be clinically relevant.