Kidney Cancer Surgery

Scope Of Service

Uro oncology

Kidney Cancer Surgery

Kidney can be saved with state-of-the-art treatment of kidney tumor (<7 cm)
(Partial Nephrectomy)

In the United States, 70 percent of kidney cancers are diagnosed at an early stage. The main reason behind this is sonography of abdomen, that is done in regular health check-ups, in which the tumor can be detected before the onset of signs of kidney cancer. In India too, most kidney tumors are now diagnosed in the first stage due to awareness of regular health check-ups.

Symptoms of a kidney tumor

Some of the symptoms are Back pain, bleeding in the urine, abdominal pain, tumor in the abdomen etc. But these symptoms are usually seen when the tumor has grown too large or spread throughout the body.

There are two subtypes of first stage kidney tumors.

Stage 1a - Tumor smaller than 4 cm

Stage 1b - Tumor of 4 to 7 cm

Some tricky questions about Kidney tumor

Is CT scan examination be required ?

A CT scan is a very important test for a kidney tumor which can provide information about the location of the tumor, its size, the arteries of the kidneys and the irregularities of the veins.

Does an entire kidney need to be removed for a tumor smaller than 4 cm?

In most cases, kidney can be saved with Partial Nephrectomy and it can even treat the tumor. Studies have shown that after complete kidney removal, the patient is more likely to have heart disease, blood pressure and kidney failure in future. That is why mortality increases not because of cancer but because of other causes.

What if I have a 3 cm tumor in the kidney and I don't want to take any treatment?

Usually small tumors grows very slowly (0.3 cm to 0.5 cm/year). So you don't face any problems in the early years, but once the tumor grows, it is more likely to spread throughout the body and causes bleeding in the urine.

Is Partial Nephrectomy the treatment for all kidney tumors?

Partial Nephrectomy should be performed for tumors up to 4 cm and, if possible, for 4 to 7 cm tumors, depending on the patient's tumor location and type. The specialist looks at it and decides if a partial nephrectomy is fesible.

What if there is a tumor in both kidneys?

Both kidney tumors can be removed by performing operation and both the kidneys can be saved.

Is Partial Nephrectomy possible with laproscopy?

Yes, Uro-cancer surgeons can remove the tumor with the help of Laproscopy and save the kidney.

How to do a post-surgical check-up?

That depends upon your biopsy report. Blood test once every 3-6 months. CT scan is required to check status of your remaining kidney and opposite kidney. Follow-up is required once or twice a year depending on the CT scan report.

Can cancer recur after a small tumor is removed?

Not likely to happen again after the operation. Research has shown that even after 15 years, if only a kidney tumor is removed, the results are the same, the cancer does not recur.