Renal Function after Nephron-Sparing Surgery

Abstract

The incidence of kidney cancer has been rising over the last two decades, especially in cases where the disease is localized and small in size (<4 cm). This is mainly due to the widespread use of routine abdominal imaging such as ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. As a result, the utilization of partial nephrectomy (PN) was increased for preserving the renal parenchyma to prevent chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although it has been shown that the development of CKD or decreased kidney function is higher in patients with RCC after radical nephrectomy (RN) than PN, the renal outcomes between RN and PN are not well-understood in these patients. Several researchers proposed that RN is associated with acute kidney injury (AKI), kidney function decline, and new-onset CKD in patients with renal tumors compared to PN. Moreover, AKI increases the risk of CKD and end-stage renal disease. According to these consequence, PN would be the better surgical management rather than RN because of the benefit of preserving renal function.