The role of embolization in the treatment of kidney carcinoma.

Although embolization is widely employed in kidney cancer patients, it is not yet clearly understood whether the procedure may influence the natural history of the disease. The writers' experience consists of 99 embolized patients, performed since 1976. The effects of the procedure were reduction of tumor bulk, creation of a good edematous cleavage plane, and shrinkage of venous thrombi. In stage I and II cases embolization seems to have prolonged the survival times of patients who died of tumor, but in stage III and IV cases no difference can be detected between the embolized and nonembolized groups, whereas in stage IV cases only palliative surgery allows better survival times.