Is Radical Nephrectomy for Patients with Kidney Tumors a Risk Factor for Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Patients who undergo radical nephrectomy are considered as single kidney. In addition, most patients will develop CKD due to reduced kidney function. In this study, we monitored and compared kidney function results in patients with kidney tumors who had radical or partial nephrectomy. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 129 patients who were admitted to hospital from 2007 to 2012. There were 122 cases that had a radical nephrectomy and 7 patients who underwent a partial nephrectomy. The CKD was defined as eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2 and the readings at the 1st, 3rd, and 5th year after the surgery were followed up. Results: In the first year of the follow up, there were 0% and 19.2% (P = 0.3) of patients with eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m2 in the partial and radical nephrectomy groups, respectively, which was not statically significant. However, it was increased to 63% (P = 0.05) at the 3rd year of follow up in the radical nephrectomy group and there was no new CKD reported in the partial nephrectomy patients. At the end of the follow up, 14.3% and 71.3% of patients developed CKD (P = 0.003). Conclusions: Radical nephrectomy is a risk factor for developing CKD. Therefore, radical nephrectomy should only be considered if the size and location of the tumor are not suitable for a partial nephrectomy.