Radical nephrectomy is still preferable in the treatment of localized renal cell carcinoma - A long-term follow-up study

Objectives: Due to the advances of radiological methods, an increased number of incidentally detected renal cell carcinomas is diagnosed. The reported excellent results of nephron-sparing surgery have promoted its application in patients with a normal contralateral kidney. However, the risk of local tumor recurrence and surgical complications after nephron-sparing surgery might be higher compared with radical nephrectomy. Methods: In 89 patients with localized renal cell carcinoma treated with radical nephrectomy, long-term renal function, morbidity, and survival were evaluated. The renal function was followed up regularly with serum creatinine measurements. Results: The cause-specific 5-year survival rate was 91.6 %. There was neither local nor contralateral kidney tumor recurrence in any patient. Surgical complications were observed in 3 % of the patients. Mean serum creatinine after the nephrectomy was 123 mu mol/l without further increase during 10 years of follow-up. Conclusions: Radical nephrectomy of localized renal cell carcinoma has low morbidity, excellent local tumor control, and a high survival rate. For patients with a normally functioning contralateral kidney the long-term renal function remained adequate. Based on these data, there is no convincing evidence justifying nephron-sparing surgery to be used routinely for patients with a normally functioning contralateral kidney.