Kidney Cancer

Research

In a recent research project, urologists at Mayo Clinic found that hand-assisted laparoscopic kidney removal is as effective as the standard procedure for eradicating renal cancer. The researchers looked at 100 procedures performed from 1999 to 2003. Laparoscopic surgery requires a smaller incision and results in less pain, a shorter hospital stay, and a faster recovery. Mayo Clinic urologic surgeons have more than 30 years of experience with kidney-sparing treatments for renal cell cancer.

Another long-term research project centers on the Renal Cell Cancer Data Registry, which contains records of all Mayo Clinic patients who have had surgery for renal cell cancer since the late 1960s. The registry records the type of surgery, kidney function, complications, and overall survival. Mayo Clinic personnel continually update this registry using information from regular follow-up of patients' long-term outcomes. The registry helps urologists to make more confident treatment decisions and better-informed predictions of the way a patient may respond to treatment.

To find out more about kidney cancer research at Mayo Clinic, visit the Nephrology Research Web page.

Publications

See a list of publications by Mayo Clinic doctors on kidney cancer on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.