Modified surgical technique for the management of renal cell carcinoma with level i or II tumor thrombus

Objective: To describe a modified open surgical technique for the resection of renal cell carcinoma with level I or II tumor thrombus. Method: In our modified technique, the renal artery is ligated early and the tumor thrombus is secured ahead of kidney mobilization by either milking into the renal vein or with extirpation from the inferior vena cava. We retrospectively studied patients who were managed with this technique. Results: Between September 2006 and June 2010, 20 patients with a median age of 65 years underwent surgery for renal cell carcinoma with level I (n = 15) or II (n = 5) tumor thrombus using the modified technique. Median blood loss was 275 mL with 75% of patients requiring at least 1 transfused unit of blood. No case was complicated by an intraoperative tumor embolism. Following surgery, patients stayed a median of 5 days in the hospital and none experienced a perioperative complication. Conclusion: The described surgical technique allows for the safe and effective resection of renal cell carcinoma with level I or II tumor thrombus. This technique enables vascular control of the inferior vena cava with a minimal risk of tumor embolization.