The Margins

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The gradual increase in indications for radical prostatectomy over these last few years has focussed attention on the issue of surgical margin positivity. In terms of prognosis, a positive surgical margin is comparable to lymph node positivity. The routine adoption of the most advanced anatomo-histological methods has increased our 17.5% of positive surgical margins to 30.2% despite surgical indication having become increasingly more rigid. In addition, more precise preoperative staging by echo-guided biopsy of the seminal vesicles and of periprostatic spaces, has allowed patients with positive lymph nodes to be reduced to just over 1%.