Management of small renal tumors: An overview

The incidental finding of a small renal mass poses a therapeutic dilemma. T he traditional treatment of clinically important masses has been radical ne phrectomy. Recently, nephron-sparing surgery has emerged as a viable altern ative; and experimental minimally invasive percutaneous tissue ablation tec hniques, including cryotherapy and radiofrequency ablation, are being evalu ated. In this review, we discuss the dilemma posed by frequent renal imagin g and the increased proportion of incidental tumors being detected, the lim itations of needle biopsies for histologic diagnosis, nephron-conserving an d minimally invasive surgery, and the possible merits of radiofrequency abl ation and cryotherapy. We envision a defined role for minimally invasive pe rcutaneous or extracorporeal ablation of small renal tumors. (C) 2001 by Ex cerpta Medica, Inc.