Renal Function: Implications on the Surgical Treatment of RCC

Abstract

The good oncologic results after partial nephrectomy for stage 1 RCC show that radical nephrectomy is an overtreatment in most cases, and that many healthy nephrons are removed unnecessarily. However, partial nephrectomy is a difficult operation, with increased blood loss and a higher risk of complications. Therefore, the advantage of preserved function has to be weighed up against the increased trauma of surgery in each individual patient, and the assessment of preoperative function may influence this decision, among other factors such as comorbidities and age. In most studies, renal function has been assessed by means of estimated glomerular filtration rate, and this parameter is very helpful for long-term studies in large populations. However, more precise measurement based on clearance studies are sometimes required for more sophisticated investigations. The technique of partial nephrectomy has evolved substantially in recent years, resulting in the preservation of more nephrons, less damage to the remaining parenchyma, less blood loss, and a decreased risk of complications. The introduction of minimally invasive surgery for this purpose has also decreased the overall morbidity of surgery. In the long-term, chronic kidney disease may result in increased cardiac mortality. There is ongoing discussion on this problem, however, this potential negative influence on overall survival is not only influenced by the rate of renal insufficiency, but also to a great extent by other comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes. Therefore, in addition to providing the best surgery for any given patient, we have to make sure that the treatment of the comorbidities will also be part of our patient management, since the risk of cardiac failure may be greater than the risk of poor oncologic outcome.