Kidney Cancer Surgical Options
For patients whose cancer is confined to the kidney, surgical removal of the cancer can be the most effective treatment option. Traditionally, this was accomplished through a procedure called radical nephrectomy. It's an open surgical procedure performed through an abdominal or flank incision during which the kidney, the fat surrounding the kidney, and the adrenal gland or lymph nodes are removed.
Today, open radical nephrectomy is most commonly performed in patients with a large renal mass or regionalized advanced disease (renal vein or lymph node involvement). The procedure requires a hospital stay of three to six days, depending on a number of factors.
Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy
For most patients with renal cell carcinoma, this procedure can now be performed laparoscopically, through four small incisions. The advantages are less pain and a quicker return to full activities after surgery. The typical hospitalization is one to two days after surgery.
Open partial nephrectomy
Partial nephrectomy is a kidney-preserving treatment for kidney cancer. The tumor itself, with a small margin of normal kidney tissue, is removed and the rest of the kidney is preserved. Emerging research has demonstrated the equivalent outcomes and cure rates for partial nephrectomy with radical nephrectomy. Partial nephrectomy is superior to radical nephrectomy in preserving normal kidney function and alleviating complications of chronic kidney disease, such as cardiovascular disease.
UC San Diego surgeons utilize a variety of approaches, including open surgery, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery to achieve some of the nation’s highest kidney preservation rates. Partial nephrectomy is typically performed through a flank incision, and many patients have a four to seven day hospitalization with recovery of kidney function.
Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy
UC San Diego is one of few highly-specialized centers that has the capability to perform the delicate procedure of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Our team has extensive experience in this technique, which can now be performed in select patients. It combines the advantages of laparoscopy with complex, kidney-preserving cancer surgery. Hospitalization is usually two to three days and recovery is two to three weeks.
Single-incision laparoscopic radical and partial nephrectomy
Single-incision laparoscopic surgery involves placement of all working instruments through one small incision, mostly hidden in the belly button, through which the kidney or kidney tumor is also extracted through. By combining all working instrument ports and the extraction incision into one tiny incision (often approximately one and a half inches), UC San Diego surgeons can now further decrease the morbidity of surgery. Most patients stay one to two days and have minimal narcotic requirement as a result of this procedure.