Involvement of the inferior vena cava in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

Inferior vena cavography plays an important role in the staging of renal cell carcinoma. The renal angiograms and inferior vena cavograms in a series of patients with renal cell carcinoma were reviewed to determine which patients require cavography. Our findings show that renal angiography is of great value in suggesting tumor involvement of the renal vein or vena cava, and that the decision to do cavography can be made from the angiographic findings. In the series of 172 patients with renal carcinoma, 15 or 9% had inferior vena cava involvement.