Incidentally detected renal cell carcinoma: Pathological features, survival trends and implications for treatment

Objectives To compare treatment outcomes in symptomatic and incidental renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with specific interest in the role of radical nephrectomy. Patients and methods The records of 189 patients with a clinical diagnosis of RCC were reviewed. The mode of presentation, tumour size, grade and stage at presentation were correlated with final outcome, as measured by the disease-free and overall survival of the patients. Results The rate of incidental detection was 15%; incidental tumours were of a lower stage and patients with incidentally detected tumours had a significantly longer disease-free and overall survival than had those with symptomatic tumours (P < 0.05). Conclusions The increased detection of incidental tumours should further improve survival in RCC. We continue to advocate radical nephrectomy for incidentally detected tumours, as it offers the best outcome and simplifies the follow-up.