[Percutaneous cryoablation for renal tumors cT1 as an alternative treatment for surgery]

Renal cancer represents 3-4% of all malignancies. Its incidental detection is becoming more frequent. Surgery is the gold standard treatment for T1 renal cancer. Still, surgery is not suitable for every patient due to comorbidities or previous kidney surgery. Guidelines provided by The American Urological Association recommend thermoablation therapies as an alternative to surgery in tumors under 3 cm. Experience regarding percutaneous cryoablation in renal tumors is scarce in Latin America and there are only a handful of publications in this region regarding this subject. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and security of percutaneous cryoablation in a cohort of adult patients with cT1 renal cancer (smaller than 5 cm) as an alternative to surgery. The procedures were performed with CT or Cone Beam CT guidance and under general anesthesia in sterile conditions. Cryoablation was carried out on an outpatient basis. Follow up was done with imaging studies, blood test and clinical consultation. All patients had complete response in imaging studies. There were no complications in 61% of all of them, the remaining patients suffered grade-1 complications such as hematuria, urinary retention and perirenal hematoma. In conclusion, percutaneous cryoablation for renal tumors is a safe and effective alternative to surgery.