Conservative surgery in solitary and bilateral renal carcinoma: indications and technical considerations.

Seven patients presented with solitary or bilateral renal carcinoma. All 4 patients treated by partial nephrectomy are well and 3 are free of disease (followup of 24 to 32 months). A survey of similar series reveals a survival of 78 per cent in patients with solitary renal tumors undergoing partial nephrectomy (mean followup of 52 months). Since the projected survival in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis for the same interval is only 65 per cent partial nephrectomy, when technically feasible, would appear to be the treatment of choice in solitary renal carcinoma. In cases involving bilateral lesions the survival rate after partial nephrectomy seems to be similar to that of cases on hemodialysis.