Effects of change in surgical approach in T3 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with intracaval thrombus on complications and survival

471 Background: In patients with T3 RCC with venous tumor thrombus reaching the inferior vena cava, without metastatic disease, a nephrectomy with cavotomy is performed. Before 2000, surgical approach of level 3-4 caval tumorthrombus included sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass with circulatory arrest, with high morbidity and mortality rates. After the routine use of liver mobilization around 2000, sternotomy became less necessary. We compared perioperative characteristics, complications and survival pre- and post-2000. Methods: We retrospectively studied 91 patients, operated between 1984 and 2016 in a referral hospital. Patients with a T3 RCC and caval thrombus underwent a radical nephrectomy with thrombectomy. Data on patient and tumor characteristics, operation approach, complications (Clavien-Dindo classification), hospital stay, progression and survival were collected and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, Chi-Square, and Log-Rank tests. Results: 91 patients (56 male) with a mean age of 65 years were included. 33% had a level 3 or 4 cava thrombus. Surgical management before 2000 included sternotomy with circulation arrest in 32% and liver mobilization in 10%. After 2000, the number of sternotomies lowered to 8% while liver mobilization increased to 74%. See table 1 for perioperative outcomes and complications. Disease specific survival was significant longer in patients operated after 2000 (estimated mean 70 vs. 94 months, p = 0.03). Only N stage influenced progression free survival, patients N+ showed worse survival (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The change in surgical approach including liver mobilization significantly decreased complication rates, blood loss, transfusion rate, hospital stay and increased disease specific survival. [Table: see text]