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Kidney Cancer
Overview
Kidney cancer can form in the small tubes inside the kidney. Those tubes are located in the center of the kidney where urine collects and used to filter blood. Each year, kidney cancer is diagnosed in about 190,000 people worldwide.1 Kidney cancer is slightly more common in men and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70 years.2 The most common kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma.
It is important to realize that with early diagnosis and treatment, kidney cancer can be cured. If found early, the survival rate for patients with kidney cancer ranges from 79 to 100 percent.3
da Vinci ® Surgery for Kidney Conditions
If your doctor recommends surgery for kidney cancer, you may be a candidate for a new, minimally invasive approach — da Vinci® Surgery. da Vinci Surgery uses state-of-the-art technology to help your doctor perform a more precise operation than conventional surgery. It offers several potential benefits over conventional open surgery, including:
- Increased potential to spare healthy kidney tissue and minimize the risk of chronic kidney disease4,5
- Significantly less pain6
- Less blood loss than open and traditional laparoscopic surgery7
- Fewer blood transfusions8
- Less risk of infection9
- Shorter hospital stay and recovery10
- Less scarring6
- World Health Organization; Global cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 million by 2020; URL: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2003/pr27/en/
- “Cancer Facts & Figures 2008”, American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org , URL: http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/2008CAFFfinalsecured.pdf
- ‘Kidney Cancer”, American Urological Association Foundation, www.urologyhealth.org , URL: http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=04&topic=124
- Bhayani SB, Das N.; Robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial Nephrectomy for suspected Renal Cell Carcinoma. BMC Surgery 2008, 8:16 doi:10.1186/1471-2482-8-16
- Huang WC, Elkin EB, Levey AS, Jang TL, Russo P; Partial Nephrectomy Versus Radical Nephrectomy in Patients With Small Renal Tumors-Is there a Difference in Mortality and Cardiovascular Outcomes; The Journal of Urology, Vol. 181, 55-62, January 2009
- Ramaswamy M. and Sundaram CP.; Laparoscopic live-donor nephrectomy. University Hospital, Liverpool, UK, and Indiana University Hospital, Indianapolis, USA. January 2006
- Nazemi T; Galich A, et al. Radical nephrectomy performed by open, laparoscopy with or without hand-assistance or robotic methods. Int. braz j urol. vol.32 no.1 Rio de Janeiro Jan./Feb. 2006
- Ibid.
- Renoult E, Hubert J, et al. Robot-assisted laparoscopic and open live-donor nephrectomy. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation 2006 21(2):472-477
- Ibid.
da Vinci Surgery for kidney cancer incorporates the best techniques of open surgery and applies them to a robotic-assisted, minimally invasive approach.
The precision and dexterity of the da Vinci Surgical System's advanced instrumentation facilitates a minimally invasive approach for treating kidney cancer.
As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is patient and procedure specific.
If you are a candidate for kidney surgery, talk to a urologist who performs da Vinci kidney procedures. To find a da Vinci urologic surgeon, use our surgeon locator.
* In Nephrectomy, one incision is enlarged for removal of the kidney.
While clinical studies support the effectiveness of the da Vinci® System when used in minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary. Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits.