Postoperative follow-up care after curative surgery or ablative treatment is the standard of care in patients with nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma. The goal is to identify and treat postoperative complications and local recurrences early on. Follow-up investigations and their relevance are widely acknowledged and validated and patients undergoing follow-up seem to benefit from a longer survival in nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma. Hence there is no consensus on a standardized follow-up strategy. The most disputed question is around the frequency of the investigations and the duration of the follow-up. Without an evidence-based follow-up protocol, urologists should carry out an individualized, potentially lifelong follow-up regimen, which also includes the patients' needs and perspectives.
Keywords: Complications; Guidelines; Kidney neoplasms; Postoperative care; Relapse.