ABSTRACT
Objective To explore if it is essential to excise ipsilateral adrenal gland in radical nephrectomy.Methods Two hundred and sixty-three patients underwent radical nephrectomy were analyzed retrospectively.The duration of operation,bleeding volumn,complications and survival rates were compared between the adrenalectomy and adrenal preserved groups.The clinical data of the patients with adrenal gland involvement were analyzed as well.Results There were 214 clinical localized(T_(1-2)N_0M_0 )renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients,26 local advanced RCC(T_(3-4)N_(0-2)M_0 ) patients and 23 metastatic RCC(T_(1-4)N_(0-2)M_1) patients in this study.In the 263 patients,146 cases received ipsilateral adrenal gland excisions,while 117 cases had the ipsilateral adrenal glands preserved.The duration of operation,estimated blood loss and the complications did not differ significantly between these two groups.Only 8 patients had adrenal gland involvement.The mean size of the 8 tumors was 9.7 cm and 5 of them had a diameter ≥8 cm.In the 8 patients,6 had the tumor in the upper pole and 2 had the whole kidney involved.One hundred and twenty-nine clinical stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ patients had ipsilateral adrenal excised,while only 4 (3.1%) had adrenal gland involvement.Seventeen clinical stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ patients had ipsilateral adrenal excised,and 4 (23.5%) had adrenal gland involvements.The clinical stages of these 8 patients were stage Ⅲand Ⅳ.The patients were followed up for 28 months (3-102 months).There was no significant difference of 5-year survival rates between the ipsilateral adrenal gland excised and preserved patients categorized according to pathological stage.Conclusion For patients with renal cancer larger than or equal to 8 cm,localized in upper pole of kidney or with the whole kidney involve and with a clinical stage higher or equal to Ⅲ,it is essential to excise ipsilateral adrenal gland in radical nephrectomy,otherwise the ipsilateral adrenal can be preserved.