Recurrent renal cell cancer: 10 years or more after nephrectomy

Abstract

Localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) responds well to surgery.Patients often question how long they have to be on surveillanceafter their surgery. Several follow-up patterns have been describedin the literature. Until 2009, no published established Canadianguidelines existed to assist Canadian health-care practitioners inthe surveillance of these patients. We present 3 cases of RCC thatrecurred 10 years or longer after the initial nephrectomy. Thesecases emphasize the need for careful long-term follow-up, as recommendedin the Canadian Urological Association guidelines.We also discuss the optimism of prolonged disease survival inthe era of novel therapeutic agents that target angiogenesis.