Survival Better with Partial Nephrectomy

ATLANTA—Partial nephrectomy (PN) is associated with better overall survival compared with radical nephrectomy (RN) for patients with early-stage kidney cancer, researchers reported at the American Urological Association 2012 annual meeting.

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, Hung-Jui Tan, MD, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues identified 1,925 patients treated with PN and 5,213 treated with RN for T1a kidney cancer from 1992 to 2007.

With a median follow-up of 58 months, patients treated with PN had a significant 46% decreased risk of death compared with those treated with RN. The results corresponded with predicted survival advantage rates of 6%, 12%, and 16% at two, five, and eight years post-treatment, respectively.

The researchers noted that the survival benefit associated with PN was most pronounced for younger patients and those with comorbid medical conditions.