ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignancy of the urinary system with high rates of morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate and analyze the clinical efficacy of retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for the treatment of small RCC. METHODS: In this retrospective study of 45 patients with small RCC, the patients were divided into two treatment groups: Group A (retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, 25 cases) and Group B (retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy, 20 cases). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the operative time, amount of intraoperative blood loss, length of hospital stay, preoperative creatinine level, postoperative creatinine level after 24 hours, and survival rate after 1, 2, and 3 years between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in the survival rates and short-term postoperative complications between the laparoscopic partial nephrectomy group and the laparoscopic radical nephrectomy group for small RCC, but the former was slightly more effective.