Kidney Cancer Today

The arguments in favor of partial nephrectomy (PN) over radical nephrectomy (RN) for patients with localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have been diverse and compelling,¹ leading many to advocate for PN whenever feasible, even for potentially aggressive tumors.² However, some patients with tumors with increased oncologic potential and/or high complexity may not be well-served by PN, and exactly where the appropriate boundaries between PN and RN should reside remains a point of great controversy.³  Many academic urologists are naturally biased in favor of PN because they enjoy the surgical challenges inherent to the procedure, and there are many patients, such as those with preexisting chronic kidney disease (CKD), who clearly benefit from a nephron-sparing approach.^4,5  From a practical standpoint, a policy of PN whenever potentially feasible encourages referral to tertiary care centers.
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The rapid spread of COVID-19 has had dramatic effects throughout the world on healthcare systems with impacts far beyond the patients actually infected with the disease. Patients with severe kidney cancer must rely on data and recommendations as to who can safely defer treatment until after the pandemic is over versus those that should be treated without delay. 

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Cancers of the kidney and renal pelvis comprise the sixth most common newly diagnosed tumors in men, the tenth most common in women in the United States, and account for an estimated 65,340 people new diagnoses and 14,970 cancer-related deaths in 2018 in the United States. Despite ongoing stage migration as a result of widespread use of axial abdominal imaging for non-specific abdominal complaints,

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The United States (U.S.) is currently in an opioid epidemic. Although the U.S. makes up only 4% of the global population, Americans consume 80% of worldwide opioids. Data from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that 21-29% of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them, and 8-12% of patients subsequently develop an opioid use disorder. Read More

Renal cancers are common, accounting for an estimated 65,340 new diagnoses and 14,970 attributable death in 2018 in the United States.1 The “Epidemiology and Etiology of Kidney Cancer” is discussed at length in the linked article in the UroToday Center of Excellence series. Read More

With the widespread dissemination of abdominal imaging, there has been a stage migration in kidney cancer. However, this appears to have plateaued since 2007¹. There remains a significant proportion (~16%) of patients newly diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma who presented with advanced-stage disease and a further subset of those with localized disease are at high risk of recurrence. 

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Kidney cancer is the 6th most common malignancy among men and 10th most among women.¹ Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for the vast majority of these tumors. Read More

Renal cancers are common, accounting for an estimated 65,340 new diagnoses and 14,970 attributable deaths in 2018 in the United States.¹ In the article, "Epidemiology and Etiology of Kidney Cancer" both topics are discussed at great length. Read More

The small size and, in benign states, almost inconspicuous appearance of the adrenals belies both their physiologic and pathophysiologic complexity. As a result of this complexity, management of adrenal disorders often requires the involvement of endocrinologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, and anesthesiologists in addition to urologists. Read More

Kidney cancer is a broad, encompassing term that borders on colloquial. While most physicians are referring to renal cell carcinoma when they say “kidney cancer”, a number of other benign and malignant lesions may similarly manifest as a renal mass. Read More

As has been highlighted in the accompanying article on the Epidemiology and Etiology of Kidney Cancer, cancers of the kidney and renal pelvis comprise the 6th most common newly diagnosed tumors in men and 10th most common in women. Read More