The impact of lymph node dissection and positive lymph nodes on cancer-specific mortality in contemporary pT2-3 non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with radical nephrectomy.

In contemporary and historical patients LND or its extent do not protect from CSM. However, the NPN increases the rate of CSM in pT3 patients. Consequently, LND and its extent appear to have little if any therapeutic value in pT2-3 Nany M0 patients, besides its prognostic impact. High-risk non-metastatic patients may represent a target population for a multi-institutional prospective trial.