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Vein invasion in renal cell carcinoma: impact on metastatic behavior and survival
B Ljungberg1, R Stenling, B Osterdahl
1Department of Urology, Umeå University, Sweden.
Purpose:
The development of a thrombus extending into the veins is well recognized in renal cell carcinoma. We investigated the hypothesis that vein invasion alone has no adverse impact on survival but is a highly negative factor in other tumors.
Materials And Methods:
In 200 consecutive patients invasion of the renal vein and vena cava was evaluated and compared with the clinical course.
Results:
A total of 26 patients had vena caval and 47 had renal vein invasion. Patients with venous invasion had a significantly shorter survival but no survival difference was demonstrated based on the level of involvement.
Conclusions:
Our study indicates that vein invasion itself seems to be an important prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma.