Renal cell carcinoma: management of venous thrombus

Radical nephrectomy with vena cava thrombectomy remains the treatment of choice in patients with renal cell carcinoma and inferior vena cava involvement. Surgery is performed with curative intent in patients without evidence of metastases or for cytoreduction, followed by possible immunotherapy in patients with distant metastases.

The role of magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating the renal vein and/or IVC to detect thrombus and the proximal extent of thrombus is fully established. Surgical removal of these cancers through a transabdominal approach, even in patients with a level 2 thrombus (involving the retrohepatic IVC with close proximity to the main hepatic veins) is possible, avoiding the potential added morbidity of a throacoabdominal approach or median sternotomy. The application of liver transplant techniques and liver mobilization procedures not generally familiar to urological surgeons facilitates wide exposure and proximal control of the IVC for tumors cephalad to the confluence of the hepatic veins. As an initial step' we believe that cephalad retraction of the liver with mobilization of the IVC by securing the lumbar, small hepatic and other unnamed venous collaterals may be tried to gain exposure of the retrohepatic IVC.

Overall survival in patients with IVC involvement after complete surgical removal in the absence of metastatic disease justifies aggressive surgical management.