Objective: Whether lymph node dissection (LND) should be performed concomitantly with radical nephrectomy (RN) for non-metastatic renal carcinoma has still been controversial recently. We conducted a meta-analysis assessing oncologic outcomes of radical nephrectomy with lymph node dissection (LND) and without lymph node dissection (non-LND) in non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (NMRCC).
Patients and methods: A systematic review was performed until April 2018 using a comprehensive search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases to identify eligible comparative studies. A formal meta-analysis was performed for studies comparing radical nephrectomy with LND and radical nephrectomy with non-LND for cT1-T4NxM0 tumors. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis for locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (cT3-T4NxM0) was conducted.
Results: Thirteen studies on patients with LND and non- LND were identified and included in the analysis. LND group did not have a significantly better survival than non-LND group for cT1-T4NxM0 tumors (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.78-1.11, p=0.45), However, in the subgroup of locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (cT3-T4NxM0), it showed a significantly better OS rate in patients who had undergone LND compared to those without LND (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.60-0.90; p=0.003).
Conclusions: LND offers better cancer control and better long-term survival in locally advanced renal cell carcinomas (cT3-T4NxM0). This conclusion should be confirmed by a prospective randomized clinical trial.