title: Minimally invasive treatment of small renal tumors: trends in renal cancer diagnosis and management.
abstract: Renal cell carcinoma is a common malignancy causing significant mortality. In recent years abdominal imaging, often for alternate symptomatology, has led the trend toward the detection and confirmation of smaller renal tumors. This has permitted the greater use of localized and nephron-sparing techniques including partial nephrectomy and image-guided ablation. This article aims to review the current role of image-guided biopsy and ablation in the management of small renal tumors. The natural history of renal cell carcinoma, the role of renal biopsy, the principles and procedural considerations of thermal energy ablation, and the oncological outcomes of these minimally invasive treatments are discussed and illustrated with cases from the authors' institution. Image-guided ablation, in particular, has changed the treatment paradigm and, by virtue of its increasingly evident efficacy and low morbidity, now favors the treatment of smaller tumors in patients previously unfit for surgery.
authors.affiliation: Mailpoint 053, Clinical Radiology Department, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK. david.breen@suht.swest.nhs.uk
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Railton
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome