The Value of Renal Clinical Nurse Specialists: Future Potential and Current Challenges in the United Kingdom

The renal clinical nurse specialist (CNS) should be the main source of support and information for people affected by kidney cancer. The CNS is best placed to offer holistic care and often gets to know the patient, especially well as they progress on second- or third-line therapies. We discuss future potential and current challenges in the United Kingdom based on our health professional experiences.

This is a discussion paper based on clinical expertise and informed by current literature.

The CNS role for uro-oncology in many centers covers a large patient population and all 5 tumor sites: prostate, bladder, renal, testis, and penile. Urology has a decreasing workforce and increasing difficulty in recruiting to the role in these services. A number of renal CNSs are new to post due to the recruitment crisis without dedicated CNS competencies. Renal CNSs can be proven to reduce costs through managing patients' side-effect profile, ensuring people affected by cancer continue their maintenance therapies.

Therapies for kidney cancer have revolutionized treatment for patients and improved their overall survival in recent years. With longer prognoses and specialist therapies that include targeted and immunotherapy drugs, people affected by kidney cancer need dedicated renal CNSs to support them throughout the cancer pathway.

Educational projects and resources, such as the aspirant cancer career and education (ACCEND) project and RCC4Nurses, will be key to support both new and longer serving CNSs to pursue successful roles in uro-oncology while providing excellent patient care.