Lymph Node Involvement According to T Stage in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cho, Jin Seon; Lee, Jin Moo; Lee, Young Tae

Abstract

From 1981 to 1987, 91 patients underwent radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. The regional lymph nodes were resected in 42 patients with disease localized to the kidney. The following results were obtained. 1. 5 year survival rates for patients with stage TlNOMO, T2NOMO and T3aNOMO were 100, 81.8 and 66.4 %, respectively, and for patients with stage T3bNOMO or regional lymph node involvement was 0 %. 2. The incidence of regional lymph node involvement in patients with stage T1, T2 and T3a was 0, 13.0 and 31.8%, respectively. 3. The extended lymphadenectomy for renal cell carcinoma was not proved to be more effective than radical nephrectomy only. 4. Staging was correct with computerized tomography in 71.0% of the lesions but stage T1 was determined correctly by computerized tomography in 100 % of patients. When the efficiency of computerized tomography and the possibility of regional lymph node involvement is considered, and extended lymphadenectomy is not a suggested addition to radical nephrectomy in patients with stage T1 renal cell carcinoma. In the future radioimmunoassay techniques or magnetic resonance imaging techniques may provide additional information in the evaluation of metastatic disease.