Kidney Cancer Surgery

The kidneys are essential organs that filter waste in the blood. Unfortunately, like any other organ, the kidney can be affected by cancer.

The most typical form of cancer is renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which grows from cells lining the microscopic tube system within the kidney. Kidney cancer can grow slowly over several years and usually causes no symptoms until it becomes quite large because of its location in the body.

Once a diagnosis has been made either via a needle biopsy or the surgical removal of a specimen, treatment options may vary depending on the type of tumour and the individual circumstances.

Dr Louw-Waldi Vlok offers the following options for the treatment of kidney cancer:

Partial or full nephrectomy

Most kidney tumours are treated with partial nephrectomy, the surgical removal of the cancerous section of the kidney. The procedure leaves enough healthy tissue to allow for reconstruction.

Robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy uses multiple keyhole-sized incisions to effectively remove and reconstruct the kidneys, unlike a single open incision measuring several inches across the side of the abdomen.

While partial, kidney sparing removal of the kidney is our preferred method, you may need a radical or total nephrectomy (total kidney removal) if the:

• Tumour is too large or problematic to spare the kidney
• The kidney no longer functions (this can also be caused by reasons other than cancer)

A total nephrectomy can also be done using the laparoscopic method or as open surgery.

Radiofrequency ablation

This minimally invasive technique shrinks the size of tumours, nodules or other growths in the body.

Radiofrequency ablation involves inserting a needle-like probe into the body. Then, radiofrequency waves are sent out from the probe into the surrounding tissue, causing the nearby cells to die and resulting in the shrinkage of the tumour.

Radiofrequency ablation can occur in an office or outpatient setting and requires no general anaesthesia.