Retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy: the traditional treatment option

Retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (RPL) is the traditional treatment option for clinical stage II low-volume disease. There are several issues to consider when making this treatment decision, including an understanding of staging accuracy and an appreciation of the associated morbidity of surgery versus chemotherapy. The surgeon must also know what type of RPL is indicated and whether nerve-sparing surgery is feasible. We also present the results from our institution for stage II nonseminomas.