Although radical or partial nephrectomies (in suitable cases) are accepted as the best treatment methods without any argument, the role of lymph-node dissection (LND) in the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still controversial. LND has become an uncommon procedure during the surgical treatment of renal tumors in the era of early stage renal masses. Also there are no formal guidelines regarding extent and boundaries of LND at this time and the staging value of LND remains undisputed. To date, randomized trials have failed to show a benefit of LND when employed especially in early stages. However LND could be beneficial in the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic RCC. In this review the role of LND in conjunction with surgery has been discussed in the light of recent literature.