Renal Adenocarcinoma: Is There a Risk of Spreading Tumour Cells in Diagnostic Puncture?

Abstract

A series of 150 cases of renal carcinoma undergoing nephrectomy is presented. In 77 patients diagnostic renal puncture with injection of contrast medium was carried out; in the other cases no such examination was performed. A grading of malignancy was made on the basis of the histologic picture (Arner, Blanck &von Schreeb, 1965). An analysis of the 5-year survival rate disclosed no significant difference between the 2 groups. The results indicate that the risk of spreading tumour cells in diagnostic puncture of renal carcinoma, and hence of decreasing the survival rate, is negligible.