Abstract

Purpose: To our knowledge the impact of nephrectomy on stage M1 renal cell carcinoma remains to be determined. We previously reported that nephrectomy is beneficial in patients with elevated serum C-reactive protein before treatment, and those in whom nadir C-reactive protein decreases postoperatively to within the normal range may expect longer survival when surgery is combined with postoperative immunotherapy. In this study we determine the effect of nephrectomy on the immune response in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 40 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma diagnosed at our institution between 1986 and 1999. These patients underwent nephrectomy before cytokine therapy with interferon. Before and after nephrectomy we measured serum C-reactive protein, serum immunosuppressive acidic protein and peripheral blood natural killer cell activity.Results: In 15 patients with pretreatment serum C-reactive protein within the ...

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