Prospective analysis of laparoscopic versus open radical nephrectomy for renal tumours more than 7 cm

AIMS: To analyse the feasibility of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) for renal tumours >7 cm and to compare the operative and oncologic outcomes with open radical nephrectomy (ORN). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a prospective, observational, comparative study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at a tertiary care super-speciality hospital. All the patients who underwent radical nephrectomy for >7 cm renal tumours during a period of 2 years (April 2012 to May 2014) were included in the study. Thirty patients were included in each ORN and LRN group. Pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative data for all these patients were collected and analysed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 11.0 for Windows, Chicago, IL). RESULTS: Mean age of patients in ORN and LRN groups was 57.3 ± 6.1 years and 54.9 ± 5.7 years, respectively (P = 0.220). As compared to ORN, LRN had less drop in post-operative haemoglobin (1.39 ± 0.55 g/dl vs. 4.07 ± 1.023 g/dl, P < 0.05), less drop in haematocrit value (4.7 ± 3.25% vs. 9.5 ± 5.13%, P < 0.05), less analgesic requirement for tramadol hydrochloride (165 ± 74.5 mg vs. 260 ± 181.66 mg) and less mean hospital stay (4.2 days vs. 6.1 days, P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in post-operative complication rate and recurrence-free survival over a median follow-up of 17 months (93.9% – LRN vs. 90% – ORN) CONCLUSIONS: LRN for large renal tumours is feasible and achieves oncologic outcomes similar to that obtained with ORN.