Laparoscopic resection of isolated fossa recurrence of renal cell carcinoma after open nephrectomy: report of 6 cases and literature review.

OBJECTIVES

Local recurrence after a correct surgical technique and absence of distant metastasis is a rare occurrence after radical nephrectomy. Surgical resection remains the standard management for this pathological setting. Nevertheless controversy persists over surgical approach and adjuvant treatments.

METHODS

We report on perioperative outcomes of a small multi-institutional series of patients with fully laparoscopic management of isolated renal fossa recurrence following open radical nephrectomy.

RESULTS

All patients underwent full laparoscopic surgery. Mean operative time was 140 minutes (range 75 to 240 minutes). Only one patient had a Clavien Grade IIIa complication. Mean hospital stay was 3 days (range 2 to 4 days). Out of the six patients, 5 had a mean follow-up of 20 months (range 9 to 32 months). Only one of these patients evolved with distant metastasis after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic resection of local recurrence after open radical nephrectomy is a challenging but reproducible technique. There is still no consensus or an operative protocol for this clinical setting. However, as long as surgery is kept within the possibilities, a laparoscopic approach should be sought.