When you have kidney cancer, you have to choose the appropriate surgical treatment according to the situation, not necessarily the total removal of the kidney. What exactly is the current medical opinion on the choice of kidney cancer treatment methods? Let’s take a look at the recommendations of the most authoritative experts.
The European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines for the management of kidney cancer clearly state:
- Partial nephrectomy is preferred for renal cancers less than 4 cm in diameter;
- Nephrectomy is recommended for kidney cancers between 4 and 7 cm in diameter, depending on the surgeon’s skill and experience, but radical nephrectomy (i.e., total nephrectomy) is preferred if there are technical limitations or if the tumor is in a special location;
- The choice of radical nephrectomy is more reasonable for tumors over 7 cm in diameter.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Guidelines have a similar recommendation to try to avoid radical nephrectomy for kidney cancers less than 7 cm in diameter if technically possible to achieve partial nephrectomy.