KIDNEY CANCER
CRYOTHERAPY
Cryosurgery Procedures
Treatment
The traditional treatment for kidney cancer is radical nephrectomy. As mid- to long- term results of studies involving nephron-sparing minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of renal cancer become available, evidence is mounting that partial nephrectomy and cryosurgical ablation are equally effective in terms of survival rates in selected patients.
Radical nephrectomy means removal of the entire kidney and surrounding fat, the neighboring adrenal gland, lymph nodes, and Gerota’s fascia. An open radical nephrectomy is removal through a large flank or abdominal incision. A laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is a less invasive procedure in which the surgeon makes 3-4 small incisions to insert cameras and specially designed surgical instruments to remove the kidney and surrounding tissues intact. This laparoscopic procedure is also sometimes performed using robotic assistance.
Partial Nephrectomy means removal of the portion of the kidney containing the tumor, while leaving the remainder of the functioning kidney in place. This procedure can also be performed through an open incision or laparoscopically. It is called “nephron-sparing” because some of the kidney’s nephrons are “spared” from removal, and, left intact, they continue to function.
Cryoablation and Radiofrequency Ablation (or RFA) are the two forms of thermal ablation that are cleared by the FDA and in use today for kidney cancer ablation. While surgeons currently use both technologies, it is becoming clear to most kidney cancer specialists that cryoablation is a safer and more effective technology. When the world’s body of medical literature surrounding these two ablation technologies is evaluated, there are half as many patients who fail treatment with cryoablation compared to radiofrequency ablation.
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