Objectives: To study the differences in the clinico-pathological features of incidental and symptomatic T1 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to see, particularly in T1b RCC, if symptomatic presentation has adverse pathological features concerning the oncological safety of elective nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) in this subgroup.
Materials and methods: Of 278 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy for RCC from January 1995 to January 2005, 70 had tumor size up to 7 cm (T1). They were categorized as incidental or symptomatic and as T1a or T1b tumors. Clinico-pathological features were compared between incidental (IRCC) and symptomatic (SRCC) groups. Tumors were analyzed using the 1997 TNM staging and Fuhrman's grade.
Results: Of the 70 with T1 tumors, 24 had T1a (IRCC, 12 and SRCC, 12) and 46 had T1b tumors (IRCC, 27 and SRCC, 19). Clear cell was the commonest histology. In T1a cancers, though no significant difference in histopathological pattern and grade was seen between the incidental and symptomatic groups, symptomatic tumors had more papillary, mixed histopathological pattern and higher nuclear grade. Among T1b tumors, 14 had papillary and mixed histology, 12 (86%) of which were symptomatic (P= <0.0001). In T1b, 15 (79%) symptomatic had higher nuclear grade (G2-3) while 22 (81%) incidental had lower Fuhrman's grade (P= <0.0001).
Conclusion: Symptomatic T1b RCCs had higher nuclear grade and papillary histology. This difference was statistically significant. This may be relevant when considering elective NSS in symptomatic T1b disease.
Keywords: Incidental; nephron-sparing surgery; renal cell carcinoma.