Pelvic Lymph Node Staging With PSMA PET in Prostate Cancer: Surgical Validation With Implications for Radiotherapy Planning

Negative PSMA PET/CT does not reliably exclude microscopic pelvic lymph node metastases in intermediate- and high/very high-risk prostate cancer. These findings demonstrate a biologically relevant false-negative rate for PSMA-based nodal staging. While this study does not assess radiotherapy outcomes, the presence of occult nodal disease in PSMA-negative patients supports a cautious, risk-adapted approach to treatment de-escalation strategies involving pelvic nodal irradiation.