Positive Surgical Parenchymal Margin After Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma: Oncological Outcomes

PurposeThe oncological efficacy of partial nephrectomy is related to obtaining a negative surgical margin intraoperatively. This study assesses the oncological outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for a renal tumor who had positive surgical margin on final pathology.Materials and MethodsThe experiences of 2 surgeons with 511 patients with a pathological diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma treated with laparoscopic partial nephrectomy were reviewed. Patients with a positive surgical margin were identified retrospectively. Oncological outcomes were assessed by followup with chest x-ray and computerized tomography every 6 to 12 months for 5 years.ResultsThere were 9 patients (1.8%) with a positive margin on final pathology. Mean tumor size was 2.8 cm (range 1.7 to 4.0). Two patients underwent secondary completion radical nephrectomy, one at 4 days and the other at 2 months following laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. No residual tumor was identified in the nephrectomy specimen in either patient. Of the remaining 7 patients who elected surveillance, 1 with von Hippel-Lindau disease died of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to pancreas 10 months after laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. The remaining patients were disease-free for a median followup of 32 months (range 6 to 76). No patient in the series had port site seeding.ConclusionsA positive margin following laparoscopic partial nephrectomy does not necessarily indicate residual disease. However, vigilant monitoring is mandatory. While midterm outcomes parallel those of patients with a negative margin, longer followup is necessary to determine the ultimate oncological outcomes in this subgroup of patients.