The Role of Radiotherapy for Adult Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

In this paper the most important articles about the role of radiotherapy for renal cell carcinoma (CPR) are reviewed. Both pre- and post-operative radiotherapy do not seem to improve the survival rates, nor perhaps the local control in comparison with surgery. But trials have been limited and with evident bias: patients were staged without stratification for prognostic factors (grading and lymphonode metastases in particular) and radiotherapy techniques were often incorrect because of too frequent early and late damage. The role of radiotherapy for treating the metastatic disease is undisputed Particularly for patients with a single metastasis, because of the possibility of long survival if adequately controlled.