Pathologic staging of prostate cancer

Radical prostatectomy allows the determination of the extent of cancer in the prostate gland, prostate capsule, seminal vesicle, and lymph nodes because these tissues are removed and examined under the microscope. The likelihood of remaining disease free at 10 years following prostatectomy is related to the extent of capsular penetration, whether the cancer is specimen confined, and whether there is evidence of positive margins.