Elective partial and radical nephrectomy in patients with renal cell carcinoma in CT1B stadium

Background/Aim. In renal cell carcinoma (RCC) the choice of surgical technique, radical (RN) or partial nephrectomy (PN) is still centre dependant because there still are no absolute recommendations for this approach. This study aims to analyze the oncological aspects, time until recurrent disease appears and cancer-specific survival in patients with RCC in T1bN0?0 depending on the type of surgical procedure partial or radical nephrectomy. Methods. A clinical observational study of a series of cases was conducted that analyzed data of 154 patients operated in our institution with a mean follow up a period not less than five years. The inclusion criteria included: renal tumours 4-7 cm, histopathological confirmation of RCC, absence of metastasis and normal serum creatinine. Exclusion criteria included: the presence of other malignancies, solitary functional kidney or comorbidities that can compromise renal function, bilateral tumours or unilateral multiple tumours. Results. The study analyzed data of 154 patients, 97 radical nephrectomies and 57 patients that underwent partial nephrectomy. Analyzing cancer-specific survival in four patients with RN there was a disease advancement that led to a lethal outcome, one PN patient died as a result of local relapse and distant metastasis. Conclusion. Based on our results PN is a good and safe treatment option for patients with RCC in T1b stadium. Partial nephrectomy offers a similar tumour control and better cancer-specific survival.