Urology

Surgeries that may be performed to treat kidney cancer include:

Radical nephrectomy:

This is a procedure to remove the entire affected kidney. The adrenal gland may also be removed if it is involved with, or very close to, the tumor. During this type of surgery, the oncologist may make incisions in the abdomen, under the ribs, or in the back to remove the entire kidney.

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN):

This surgery is performed by making a few small incisions, instead of one large incision. One of the incisions is slightly larger than the others to allow the removed kidney to pass through. LRN may require less recovery time and cause less bleeding and scarring.

Partial nephrectomy:

During this procedure, the surgeon removes only the part of the kidney that contains cancer. This type of kidney cancer surgery may be required to preserve kidney function in patients who have cancer in both kidneys, who have low kidney function, or who have one kidney.