Comparison of endoscopic versus open radical nephrectomy for stage T1 and T2 renal cancer

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy, efficiency and patient well-being of endoscopic radical nephrectomy (ERN) with those of open radical nephrectomy (ORN) in patients with stage T1 and stage T2 renal cell carcinoma during the period from 1995 to 2003. Eighty-four patients including 53 patients receiving ERN and 31 patients receiving ORN were evaluated. The two groups were analyzed for sex, side of tumor, clinical stage, age, tumor diameter, operative time, operative blood loss, postoperative time to oral intake and ambulation. There was no difference in patient background between the ERN and ORN groups. Although the mean operative times between the ORN and ERN group were not different (mean 240 versus 267 min. in ERN group, P N .S.), ERN patients had significantly less operative blood loss (mean 123 versus 469 ml. in ERN group, P < 0.01), significantly shorter time to start the oral intake of rice gruel (mean 1.4 versus 4.6 days. in ERN group, P < 0.01) and significantly shorter time to ambulation (mean 1.2 versus 3.1 days. in ERN group, P < 0.01). These findings revealed that endoscopic radical nephrectomy for the patients with stage T1 and T2 renal cell carcinoma appears to be associated with less morbidity and faster recovery rather than open radical nephrectomy.