A case against elective nephron sparing surgery for renal cell carcinoma

A 62-year old man who incidentally was discovered to have a mass lesion in the lower pole of the left kidney underwent left radical nephrectomy. The mass was 32 millimetres in its largest diameter. Although the left adrenal gland was radiologically and macroscopically normal, histopathological examination revealed microscopic foci of metastasis. The present case urges us to be more cautious in offering partial nephrectomy for left sided tumours even though it is incidentally detected and small.