Aggressive versus conservative management of stage IV renal cell carcinoma

Improved modalities to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma will require an aggressive surgical and chemotherapeutic approach. Nephrectomy with hormonal and non-hormonal chemotherapy does improve median survival and 3-year survival significantly. The use of xenogeneic specific immune ribonucleic acid and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin offers promising immunotherapeutic modalities that may be combined with surgical and chemotherapeutic regimens. Early diagnosis of metastatic disease is important to evaluate properly the results of various modalities of treatment and possibly to improve the efficiency of these modalities. The management of solitary metastatic nodules should involve aggressive resection of the primary and metastatic nodule. Adjuvant hormonal and non-hormonal chemotherapy should be considered in all stages of the disease.