[Results of radical surgery for renal cancer in adults]

For thirteen years, between 1963 and 1976, 120/139 patients with renal cancer were operated. 45 were stage I, 20 were stage II, 45 were stage III and 12 were stage IV (Robson's classification). Of the 45 stage III cancers, 13 had lymphatic invasion and 37 had venous invasion ranging from microscopic stages to invasion of the inferior vena cava. Treatment included: preoperative teleirradiation with cobalt most often a single dose of 500 rads on the day before the operation. Wide excision with primary ligation of the vascular pedicle and node dissection via a lumbar abdominal transperitoneal route remaining the minimum strictly necessary. Sequential monthly chemotherapy over two years of Vincristine and CCNU (chloroethyl cyclo hexylnitroso urea). Postoperative mortality was considerable (14%) but involved patients with advanced cancers, poor general condition (o% stage I, 10% stage II, 22% stage III and 40% stage IV). The long range survival remains excellent in spite of the postoperative losses: 65 p. cent 5 years all stages. However, stage determines the prognosis: 85 p. cent 5 year survival stage I and II and 53 p. cent 5 year survival stage III. Severe affection of the general state of the patient carries a very poor prognosis. Fever does not indicate a worse value except in stage III tumors. In stages I and II it can have value in the paraneoplastic syndrome (terme non familier). The authors, uncertain of the efficacity of preoperative radiotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy, concluded that wide excision with node dissection is the proper fundamental treatment of renal cancer in the adult.