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Bridging the gap between PSMA-PET and reality: critical missing elements in AR-guided pelvic lymph node dissection

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2026)Cite this article

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Dear Editor,

Bianchi et al. present an innovative integration of PSMA-PET–derived three-dimensional modeling with intraoperative augmented reality (AR) to guide pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy [1]. Their work represents a meaningful step toward functional–anatomical fusion surgery and highlights the promise of AR-enhanced navigation for improving nodal assessment in high-risk prostate cancer. While the authors demonstrate feasibility and report encouraging per-region diagnostic performance, several pivotal issues—distinct from the limitations already acknowledged—require attention to strengthen the translational rigor and generalizability of this technology.

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Fig. 1: Region-level discrepancy between PSMA-PET and histopathology.

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Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

References

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Funding

This work received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urology of Shenzhen Longgang Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China

    Zuomin Wang, Qinwei Liu & Wangdong Deng

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  1. Zuomin Wang
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  2. Qinwei Liu
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  3. Wangdong Deng
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Contributions

QL and WD contributed equally to the conception and design of the study. ZW conducted the literature search, data collection, and analysis. QL assisted in the interpretation of findings and critically revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Wangdong Deng.

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Wang, Z., Liu, Q. & Deng, W. Bridging the gap between PSMA-PET and reality: critical missing elements in AR-guided pelvic lymph node dissection. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41391-026-01080-0

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