Kidney Cancer Surgical treatment for kidney cancer involves the removal of the diseased segment of the kidney. Often due to the size of the tumour this requires removal of the whole kidney, although in some circumstances it is preferable or appropriate to remove only part of the kidney.
Removal of the Whole Kidney where possible will now be done using minimally invasive surgical techniques (laparoscopic radical nephrectomy) as this offers significant benefits to the patient –
- Excellent cancer control:
- Reduced risk of transfusion ,
- Shortened hospital stay, usually about 4 days.
- Smaller incisions, therefore less pain and a faster recovery – usually back to full activity in 4-6 weeks.
In some circumstances where the tumour is very large or the patient has had previous surgery then an open surgical operation is required.
Removal of Part of the Kidney (Partial Nephrectomy)
When the kidney tumour measures <4cm or the patient has renal impairment then a partial nephrectomy removal of only the diseased part of the kidney should be discussed. Although this often requires an open operation through an incision in the flank it offers the important benefit of preservation of functioning renal tissue, which reduces the risk of kidney failure in the future. When the tumour is favourably located then a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy may be performed.