Laparoscopic versus Open Radical Nephrectomy in T2 Renal Cell Carcinoma: Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes

PURPOSE Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) has become the standard technique for radical nephrectomies for T1 renal tumors (7 cm or less). We extended our experience with LRN to T2 renal tumors (greater than 7 cm) and compared the efficacy and long-term oncologic outcomes with those of open radical nephrectomy (ORN) for T2 clear renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the same period. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data from 33 patients who underwent LRN and 35 patients who underwent ORN in our institution from January 2003 to June 2006 for T2N0M0 RCC. We compared long-term oncologic outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS The median follow-up periods were 60.0 months (range, 48.0-77.0 months) and 65.6 months (range, 56.0-77.0 months) in the LRN and ORN groups, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the patients' demographic data. There were no significant differences in the 5-year overall survival rate, the cancer-specific survival rate, or the recurrence-free survival rate. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that LRN for the management of T2 RCC is feasible and efficacious and that the long-term oncologic outcomes of LRN are comparable to those of ORN.