Incidence and Pattern of Recurrence after Surgical Resection in Organ-Confined Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence and pattern of recurrence after surgery in patients with organ-confined renal cell carcinoma (RCC) to establish an appropriate follow-up plan.

Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, we evaluated data from 2960 patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy for stage 1 or 2 RCC. We investigated the location of first recurrence and recurrence-free survival (RFS) by plotting Kaplan-Meier curves and analyzed the associated variables using Cox regression analysis.

Results: During a median follow-up of 59 months, the 10-year RFS rates were 94.5%, 75.0%, and 57.9%, for T1a, T1b, and T2 RCC, respectively. A total of 211 patients experienced recurrence: 67 after 5 years, and 14 after 10 years. The most common sites of the first recurrence were the lungs, bones, and contralateral kidneys. Male sex, older age, higher pathologic T stage, higher nuclear grade, clear-cell RCC, and presence of differentiation were associated with recurrence. Among patients followed up for more than 60 months, higher pathologic T stage and grade, as well as clear cell RCC were predictors of RFS.

Conclusion: Late recurrence after surgery is common in patients with organ-confined RCC, with recurrence occurring even after 10 years. Consequently, long-term follow-up, of perhaps 10 years or more, including imaging studies of the abdomen, lungs, and bone, should be considered for the early detection of recurrence.