title: Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy after shrinkage of a caval tumor thrombus with sunitinib.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A 57-year-old woman presented to the emergency department at a community hospital with a 2-month history of fatigue and right-sided flank and abdominal pain. Noncontrast CT of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a 9.1 cm right renal mass.
  
  
  METHODS
  Contrast CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, MRI of the abdomen and pelvis with gadolinium, radionuclide bone scan, lung nodule biopsy, complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic profile, and measurement of serum lactate dehydrogenase.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stage IV, T3bN0M1 clear cell renal cell carcinoma, with an associated tumor thrombus extending into the vena cava.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient was treated with neoadjuvant sunitinib, which resulted in a marked response in the primary tumor and metastatic lesions as well as regression of the tumor thrombus well into the renal vein. Thus, laparoscopic radical nephrectomy was feasible and was achieved without hemorrhagic or wound healing complications. One month after surgery, she had evidence of disease progression in the lung and a periaortic lymph node. She was restarted on sunitinib with resultant disease stabilization, but discontinued the drug owing to toxicity. Eight months after cessation of sunitinib, she received a dendritic cell vaccine. She remains alive without evidence of disease progression 2 years after her diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology, Stanford University Medical Center, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Harshman
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srinivas
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamaya
authors.forename: Benjamin I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011859:Radiography; D000077210:Sunitinib; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; D011758:Pyrroles; D000077210:Sunitinib