The present study is performed to determine whether retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (RPLA) perioperative mortality (PM) rates reported from center of excellence [Indiana University: 0% for primary and 0.8% for postchemotherapy (PC) RPLA] are applicable to institution at large. Between 1975 and 2005, 327 assessable patients with nonseminomatous testicular tumors (NSTT) were treated with RPLA: primary in 134 (41%) and PC-RPLA in 193 (59%) patients. The observed PM rates were stratified according to age, clinical stage (CS) and type of RPLA. The median age at RPLA was 28 years (range 16-54) : < 29 years in 194 (56.3%), 30-39 years in 90 (30.3%) and > 40 years in 44 (13.4%) patients. Of 327 RPLA patients, 81 (27.8%) were performed for localized (CS-I), 179 (54.7%) for regional (CS-II) and 57 (17.5%) for metastatic (CS-III) disease. Ten (3.1%) patients died during initial 90 days after RPLA: 1 patient from pulmonary embolism, 2 of chemotherapyrelated toxicity and 7 of progressive disease due to preoperative worse prognostic factors. Of the entire cohort 30, 60 and 90-day PM rate was 0.3%, 1.0% and 1.3%, respectively. PM rate increase with increasing age: < 39 years 0%, 30-39 years 5.0% and > 40 years 9.3% (x2 trend test, P=0.002). PM rate also increased with CS: 0% localized, 2.8% for regional and 8.8% for metastatic disease (x2 trend test, p<0.001). PM rate at primary and PC-RPLA was increased with CS: 0% localized, 2.8% for regional and 8.8% for metastatic disease (x2 trend test, p<0.001). PM rate at primary and PC-RPLA was 0.7% and 3.1% 9P<0.001). RPLA was associated with virtually no or low (2.8%) PM rate in patients with localized and regional disease, respectively. In contrast, the PM rate of 8.8% for patients with distant metastases and group > 40 years of age (9.3%) implies that RPLA for these patients should be performed at centers of excellence, with intent of reducing PM rate.