[Renal cell carcinomas. Clinical studies on diagnostic opportunities]

We clinically investigated 150 subjects suffering from renal cellular cancers as to their diagnostic opportunities. They underwent medical treatment after being hospitalized in the urology section of Gunma University from 1961 to 1988. We divided the cases into two groups to be compared: 63 cases in the first period (1961 to 1979) before introduction of ultrasound (US) and scan (CT), and 87 cases in the second period (1980 to 1988) after introduction of the above devices. The number of patients increased in the second period, year by year. Evaluation of symptoms indicated that 62 of the 63 cases in the first period belonged to the suspected category; the remaining one (1.6%) belonged to the incidental category, but its diagnosis followed intravenous pyelography (IVP). Out of the 87 cases in the second period, 29 (33.3%) belonged to the incidental category which was recognized to be increasing; 19 cases were diagnosed based on US findings, and 6 cases on CT. Concerning prognosis, a significantly favorable prognosis was indicated for the second-period cases as compared with those of the first period, from the statistical point of view. With respect to progressive degree and prognosis of 58 suspected cases and 29 incidental cases in the second period, statistically there were significantly more cases of low grade and, therefore, with favorable prognosis in the latter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)