[Value of surgery in metastatic cancer of the kidney].

The authors analyse a series of 186 patients with renal cell carcinoma in which 33 patients of Stage IV, with metastases, underwent Nephrectomy and 3 had also operative removal of metastases appearing in early post nephrectomy follow up. The survival periods have been disappointing (none at 5 years). With a review of literature they discuss about the extent of nephrectomy, whether done with purely palliative aim, or along with attempted curative excision simultaneously of the associated metastases. Even if the spontaneous regressions are exceptional and the improvement of survival duration less frequent, metastases are not always a reason not to remove Renal Cell Carcinoma.