Although localized renal cell carcinoma can be effectively treated by surgery or ablative therapies, local or distant metastatic recurrence after treatment is not uncommon.
Because recurrent disease can be effectively treated, patient surveillance after treatment of renal cell carcinoma is very important. Surveillance protocols are generally based on the primary tumor's size, stage, and nuclear grade at the time of resection, as well as patterns of tumor recurrence, including where and when metastases occur. Various imaging modalities may be used in the evaluation of these patients. Literature on the indications and usefulness of these radiologic studies is reviewed. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 2 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances in which evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.
Written by:
Casalino DD, Remer EM, Bishoff JT, Coursey CA, Dighe M, Harvin HJ, Heilbrun ME, Majd M, Nikolaidis P, Preminger GM, Raman SS, Sheth S, Vikram R, Weinfeld RM. Are you the author?
Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio; 3Intermountain Urological Institute, Murray, Utah; American Urological Association, Linthicum, Maryland; Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington; Scottsdale Medical Imaging, Scottsdale, Arizona; University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; 8Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC; Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Reston, Virginia; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; American Urological Association, Linthicum, Maryland; Universty of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Troy, Michigan.
Reference: J Am Coll Radiol. 2014 May;11(5):443-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2014.01.023
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24793039
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