Resection of the suprarenal inferior vena cava for retroperitoneal malignant disease.

Minimal renal dysfunction was noted in 4 of 5 patients undergoing right nephrectomy with resection of the inferior vena cava and ligation of the left renal vein. However, the results of this series confirm previous reports that patients with locally advanced right renal carcinoma requiring vena caval resection are cured rarely by an operation alone. In the absence of effective adjunctive therapy for renal cell carcinoma this procedure will most likely benefit patients with neoplasms responsive to either chemotherapy or radiation therapy.