Trends and outcomes of lymphadenectomy for nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma: A propensity score-weighted analysis of the National Cancer Database

•Lymph node (LN) involvement in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is associated with a poor prognosis. The aim of our study was to analyze overall survival (OS) after LND for nonmetastatic RCC and to characterize contemporary practice patterns.•The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with nonmetastatic RCC who underwent either partial or radical nephrectomy from 2010 to 2014. A total of 11,867 underwent surgery and LND. To minimize selection bias, propensity score matching (PSM) was used.•Among all RCC patients, LNDs were often performed for low-stage disease, suggesting a potential overutilization of LND. No OS benefit was seen in any subgroup of patients undergoing LND. Further investigation is needed to determine which patient populations may benefit most from LND.