Comparison of Oncological and Functional Outcomes of Radical Versus Partial Nephrectomy for cT1b Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Two-Centre, Matched Analysis

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear which patients with cT1b renal cell carcinoma (RCC) benefit most from partial nephrectomy (PN) versus radical nephrectomy (RN) considering oncological outcomes and renal function. OBJECTIVE: To compare oncological and functional outcomes of RN with PN for cT1b RCC. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent RN or PN for cT1b between 2010 and 2022 (n = 241). Patients were grouped by RN or PN and matched by age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index, BMI, PADUA score, RENAL score, ASA score, and preoperative kidney function (eGFR) using propensity score matching. The 10-year overall survival (OS), 10-year cancer-specific survival (CSS), and 10-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) were compared. Change in eGFR from baseline to 5-year follow-up was assessed. RESULTS: After matching, 100 patients remained in each group for analysis. The 10-year OS, CSS, and RFS rates were similar between groups. For patients classified as low risk, the PN group displayed a higher recurrence rate compared to RN (7 vs. 0, p = 0.01). Patients who underwent RN had worse 1-year postoperative eGFR than PN (RN: 57 [44-65], PN: 73 [60-87], p < 0.001). RN was more likely to induce new-onset chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage >= 3b compared to PN (p < 0.001). Complication rate after PN was significantly higher (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: 10-year survival rates were similar, despite more recurrences in the PN group. Our data shows that post-surgical renal function is superior for PN. Nevertheless, RN is a reliable treatment option when preservation of renal function is not a priority.