Current Role of Active Surveillance in the Management of a Small Renal Mass

Renal cell carcinoma accounts for 3-4% of adult malignant neoplasms and over 65,000 new cases of kidney cancer were diagnosed in the USA in 2013 [1, 2]. Widespread use of abdominal imaging is leading to an increased incidence in the detection of small renal masses (SRMs) among other causes [1-4]. In light of recent literature on the role of percutaneous renal mass biopsy and retrospective data analysis, surveillance for renal masses ≤4 cm is likely to become more common especially in patients with less aggressive pathology, advanced age and multiple medical comorbidities.

Indian journal of surgical oncology. 2017 May 19 [Epub]

Scott G Erpelding, Jonathan Walker, Ramakrishna Venkatesh

1Department of Urology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 USA., 2Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110 USA.