Therapeutic and Clinical Outcomes of Robot-assisted Partial Nephrectomy Versus Cryoablation for T1 Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: In cT1 renal cell carcinoma (RCC), very few studies have compared oncological outcomes and renal function preservation rates in nephron-sparing robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and percutaneous cryoablation (PCA).

Patients and methods: We retrospectively analysed 126 patients with cT1 RCC treated with RAPN (n=78) and computed tomography-guided PCA (n=48) between March 2016 and November 2019. Clinical data and outcomes were compared for the two groups.

Results: There were no significant differences in the 3-year overall survival and relapse-free survival rates in the two groups (p=0.17 and p=0.093, respectively). The median percentage of estimated glomerular filtration rate preservation at 6 months after surgery was 91.8% and 91.4% in the RAPN and PCA groups, respectively (p=0.9).

Conclusion: In patients with cT1a RCC, oncological outcomes and renal function appear similar following RAPN and PCA.

Keywords: Cryoablation; renal cell carcinoma; renal function; robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.