Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Kidney Cancer: Minimally Invasive Treatment
 |
Kidney Cancer OverviewKidney cancer can form in the small tubes inside the kidney which filter blood. Each year, 54,000 Americans are diagnosed with kidney cancer – more than 13,000 do not survive the disease. Kidney cancer is slightly more common in men and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70 years. The most common kidney cancer is called renal cell carcinoma. It is important to realize that with early diagnosis and treatment, kidney cancer can be cured. If found early, the survival rate for patients with kidney cancer ranges from 79 to 100 percent. |
Learn More
|
Kidney Cancer Treatment Options
Because kidney cancer can be resistant to radiation and chemotherapy, removal of the kidney or kidney tumors is considered the gold standard treatment for localized kidney cancer.
Kidney surgery has traditionally been performed using an open approach, meaning doctors must make a large incision in the abdomen. Another option is conventional laparoscopy, which is less invasive but also limits the doctor's dexterity, field of vision and control.
Robotic-Assisted Surgery for Kidney Conditions
If your doctor recommends surgery for kidney cancer, you may be a candidate for minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System. This approach involves the use of state-of-the-art technology to help your doctor perform a more precise operation than conventional surgery. It offers several potential benefits over conventional open surgery, including:
- Significantly less pain
- Less 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-assisted surgery offers Fletcher Allen’s expert surgeons added precision and dexterity, which can lead to better clinical outcomes for the treatment of kidney cancer. If you are a candidate for a nephrectomy talk to one of Fletcher Allen’s urologists who perform minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery for bladder cancer.
As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is patient and procedure specific.
