Table 1 Search strategies

Ovid MEDLINE® In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE® Daily and OVID MEDLINE® (1946-April 8, 2012)

1: Prostatic Neoplasms/; 2: (prostat* adj3 (cancer* or tumo* or neoplas* or carcinom* or malign*)).tw.; 3: 1 or 2; 4: Lymph Nodes/pa, su; 5: Lymphatic Metastasis/; 6: Neoplasm Invasiveness/; 7: (nod* adj3 positiv*).mp.; 8: N1.mp.; 9: D1.mp.; 10: N2.mp.; 11: (lymph* adj3 (metastas* or tumo* or neoplas* or carcinom* or malign*)).mp.; 12: 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11; 13: Lymph Node Excision/; 14: lymphadenectom*.mp.; 15: (lymph* adj3 (surg* or operat* or excis* or removal*)).mp.; 16: 13 or 14 or 15; 17: randomized controlled trial.pt.; 18: controlled clinical trial.pt.; 19: placebo.ab.; 20: drug therapy.fs.; 21: randomly.ab.; 22: trial.ab.; 23: groups.ab.; 24: randomized.ab.; 25: 17 or 18 or 19 or 20 or 21 or 22 or 23 or 24; 26: exp animals/ not humans.sh.; 27: 25 not 26; 28: 3 and 12 and 16 and 27

EMBASE (1947-April 8, 2012)

1: EM74; 2: CT=("PROSTATE TUMOR"; "PROSTATE CANCER"; "PROSTATE ADENOCARCINOMA"; "PROSTATE CARCINOMA"); 3: (prostat* and (cancer* or tumo* or neoplas* or carcinom* or malign*))/same sent; 4: 2 OR 3; 5: CT=("LYMPH NODE"; "MESENTERY LYMPH NODE"; "PARAAORTIC LYMPH NODE"; "PELVIS LYMPH NODE"); 6: CT="LYMPH NODE METASTASIS"; 7: CT="CANCER INVASION"; 8: (nod* and positiv*)/same sent; 9: N1 or N2 or D1; 10: (lymph* and (metasta* or tumo* or neoplas* or carcinom* or malign*))/same sent; 11: 5 OR 6 OR 7 OR 8 OR 9 OR 10; 12: CT=("LYMPHADENECTOMY"; "LYMPH NODE DISSECTION"; "PELVIS LYMPHADENECTOMY"); 13: (lymph* and (surg* or operat* or excis* or remov*))/same sent; 14: lymphadenectom*; 15: 12 OR 13 OR 14; 16: 4 AND 11 AND 15; 17: su=medline; 18: 16 not 17; 19: CT=("CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL"; "RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL"); 20: CT="RANDOMIZATION"; 21: CT="DOUBLE BLIND PROCEDURE"; 22: CT="SINGLE BLIND PROCEDURE"; 23: CT="PROSPECTIVE STUDY"; 24: RANDOM*; 25: ((SINGL* OR DOUBL*) AND (BLIND* OR MASK*))/SAME SENT; 26: (CONTROLLED AND TRIAL)/SAME SENT; 27: ti=trial; 28: groups; 29: 19 OR 20 OR 21 OR 22 OR 23 OR 24 OR 25 OR 26 OR 27 OR 28; 30: 18 AND 29

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)

1: MeSH descriptor Prostatic Neoplasms, this term only; 2: (prostat* NEAR/3 (cancer* OR tumo* OR neoplas* or carcinom* or malign*)); 3: (1 OR 2); 4: MeSH descriptor Lymph Nodes, this term only; 5: MeSH descriptor Lymphatic Metastasis, this term only; 6: MeSH descriptor Neoplasm Invasiveness, this term only; 7: (nod* NEAR/3 positiv*); 8: (N1 OR N2 OR D1); 9: (lymph NEAR/3 (metastas* OR tumo* OR neoplas* OR carcinom* OR malign*)); 10: (4 OR 5 OR 6 OR 7 OR 8 OR 9); 11: MeSH descriptor Lymph Node Excision, this term only; 12: (lymphadenectomy); 13: (lymph* NEAR/3 (surg* OR operat* OR excis* OR removal*)); 14: (11 OR 12 OR 13); 15: (3 AND 10 AND 14)