Is nephrectomy justified in patients with metastatic renal carcinoma?

The survival data of 93 patients with metastatic renal carcinoma are discussed with respect to the site of metastasis and whether nephrectomy was performed as part of the initial treatment. Analysis of the cumulative survival rates revealed that nephrectomy significantly increased survival only for those patients pesenting exclusively with osseous metastases. Nephrectomy did not alter survival for patients with pulmonary and/or soft tissue metastases.