Kidney Cancer

The kidneys are two small fist-sized organs located behind the abdomen on each side of the spine. The kidneys remove toxic by-products and excess fluids from the body to help maintain a critical balance of salt, potassium, and acid. The most common kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma, which forms in the small tubes inside the kidney that filter the blood.

At The UVM Medical Center, we create a personalized treatment plan based on your exact conditions and situation. Our team of experts convene to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment options. If found early, kidney cancer can be cured.

Kidney Cancer Care at UVM Medical Center

If you have kidney cancer, you need the care and expertise of a specialized group of physicians who work together as a team to provide advanced care, including the option of robotic surgery. The treatment that is right for you will depend on several factors, including:

• Your general health
• Specific kidney cancer type
• Whether or not cancer has spread
• Your treatment preferences

The UVM Medical Center's physicians are highly trained in performing robotic surgery for kidney cancer, a minimally invasive approach using advanced technology.

Kidney Cancer Diagnosis

It is important to realize that with early diagnosis and treatment, kidney cancer can be cured. If found early enough, the survival rate for patients with kidney cancer ranges from 79-100%. Diagnostic tests used in identifying kidney cancer include:

• Blood tests
• Urine tests
• Imaging studies, including:
  • Ultrasound
  • Computed Tomography (CT) scan
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
• Minimally invasive biopsies - using an ultrasound-guided needle to take a sample of tissue to look for signs of cancer.

Treatments for Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer is resistant to radiation and chemotherapy. Because of this, the removal of the kidney or kidney tumors is considered the gold standard treatment for localized kidney cancer. Kidney surgery has traditionally been done using an open approach, requiring a large incision in the abdomen. But there are more advanced options, including robotic surgery.

At the UVM Medical Center, some of our patients are candidates for robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System. This minimally invasive approach involves advanced technology to perform a more precise operation than conventional surgery. If offers several potential benefits, including:

• Significantly less pain
• Reduced blood loss
• Fewer transfusions
• Less risk of infection
• Less scarring
• Shorter hospital stay
• Shorter recovery time
• Increased potential for kidney preservation in certain prescribed cancer operations
• Better clinical outcomes in many cases

Robotic surgery offers The UVM Medical Center's expert surgeons added precision and dexterity, which can lead to better clinical outcomes. As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is specific to each patient and procedure.