Incidental renal tumours
- 1 September 2009
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Current Opinion in Urology
- Vol. 19 (5), 454-458
- https://doi.org/10.1097/mou.0b013e32832f0ccd
Abstract
To analyze the current literature regarding incidental finding of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). RCC incidence rates continue to rise among all racial, age, tumour size categories, with the most rapid increase for localized disease and small tumours. In parallel, it seems that mortality from RCC decreases in all these groups. Computed tomography guided tumour biopsies are gaining more accuracy and acceptance, whereas minimal invasive treatments such as cryoablation or radiofrequency ablation are competing with nephron-sparing surgery in certain patient categories. Finally, active surveillance is emerging as a new management modality for elderly patients with small renal masses. The emergence of incidental diagnosis of renal tumours which is related to the widespread use of imaging has played a pivotal role in the increased incidence of RCC and therefore potentially in improving survival in localized disease. However, a significant proportion of treated tumours are benign or undetermined and active surveillance has proven safe in selected patients. There is the risk in widening the treatment armamentarium that a certain number of patients are overtreated. In conclusion, accurate tools are needed for a proper selection of patients with incidentally detected tumours, so that they can benefit from nephron-sparing surgery, ablative therapies or observation.Keywords
This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- Contemporary Epidemiology of Renal Cell CancerThe Cancer Journal, 2008
- Cancer Statistics, 2008CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2008
- Estimates of the cancer incidence and mortality in Europe in 2006Annals of Oncology, 2007
- MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL VALIDATION OF A SYMPTOM BASED CLASSIFICATION FOR RENAL CELL CARCINOMAJournal of Urology, 2004
- THE CHANGING NATURAL HISTORY OF RENAL CELL CARCINOMAJournal of Urology, 2001
- Incidental renal tumorsUrology, 2000
- Increased incidence of serendipitously discovered renal cell carcinomaUrology, 1998
- Prognostic Significance of Incidental Renal Cell CarcinomaEuropean Urology, 1995
- A Survey on Incidental Renal Cell Carcinoma in JapanJournal of Urology, 1992
- Renal Cell Carcinoma as an Incidental FindingJournal of Urology, 1985