[The role of nephron sparing surgery for renal cancer]

A contemporary review of the indications, techniques and outcome of the nephron sparing surgical approach in the management of solid renal masses.

Pertinent articles were reviewed using the MEDLINE.

Nephron sparing surgery is increasingly being used to treat patients with solid renal lesions. The technical success rate of nephron sparing surgery is excellent, and operative morbidity and mortality are low. For renal cell carcinoma, long-term cancer-free survival is comparable to radical nephrectomy, particularly in patients with low stage disease. The reported incidence of multifocal renal cell carcinoma is approximately 15%, and it depends on tumor size, histology and stage. The risk of multifocal disease is low (less than 5%), when the maximal diameter of the primary tumor is 4 cm or less. Minimally invasive modalities of tumor resection or destruction show promising results, however they should be reserved for selected patients and await improvement in technology. Only when long-term follow-up data is available these methods might become routine clinical practice.

Nephron sparing surgery provides effective therapy for patients in whom preservation of renal function is a relevant clinical consideration. Accumulating data in appropriately selected patients suggest a long-term functional advantage gained by the maximal preservation of unaffected renal parenchyma without sacrificing cancer control.