The diagnosis and management of small renal masses

Active surveillance and focal ablation for small renal masses: a better solution for comorbid patients

The natural history of small renal masses (SRM) is still not well understood and they are frequently incidentally diagnosed in elderly patients. Therefore, there is a need for less invasive options sparing the patient from the side-effects related to conventional surgical treatment. PubMed and Medline database search was performed to look for new findings on active surveillance and focal therapy for SRM. Sixty-one articles published between 2002 and 2018 were selected for the purpose of the review. There is growing evidence confirming the safety of active surveillance in patients at surgical risk and there appears to be a satisfactory intermediate-term outcome of focal treatment of SRM. In the group of elderly patients with a decreased life expectancy active surveillance appears to be the most appropriate approach. The future of minimally invasive therapy appears bright, especially with the improvement of new imaging modalities.

Management of Small Renal Masses

With the ubiquitous use of cross-sectional abdominal imaging in recent years, the incidence of small renal masses (SRMs) has increased, and the evaluation and management of SRMs have become important clinical issues. Diagnosing a mass in the early stages theoretically allows for high rates of cure but simultaneously risks overtreatment. In the past 20 years, surgical treatment of SRMs has transitioned from radical nephrectomy for all renal tumors, regardless of size, to elective partial nephrectomy whenever technically feasible. Additionally, newer approaches, including renal mass biopsy, active surveillance for select patients, and renal mass ablation, have been increasingly used. In this chapter, we review the current evidence-based papers covering aspects of the diagnosis and management of SRMs.