Surgery is one of the most common forms of treatment for kidney cancer that is prescribed in order to remove the cancerous tumor and clear any other surrounding areas that may have been affected in the whole process. In patients, where the cancer has not metastasized and is only in the starting stages, the surgery would then only involve the removal of the tumor, all or just part of the affected kidney, and the surrounding tissues and lymph nodes. There are quite a few types of kidney cancer treatment surgery options, and these include the following:

Radical nephrectomy
This is a type of kidney cancer treatment wherein the whole kidney including the tumor and any surrounding tissue that has been affected is removed. In addition, a procedure that is known as lymph node dissections could be performed if ether is substantial damage to the surrounding tissues and lymph nodes. In this process, any of the lymph nodes that have been affected will be completely removed. In the event that the adrenal gland or even the blood vessels nearby are affected, then another procedure known as adrenalectomy may be performed in addition to the above procedures. This course of treatment is prescribed when the patient’s tumor is quite large and there is no healthy tissue remaining to be salvaged. There are cases where the tumor can end up growing inside the renal vein, through which it can enter the vena cava as it descends to the heart. In such complex cases, a more extensive procedure in line with cardiovascular surgical techniques would be needed to ensure the safe removal of the cancerous tumor.

Partial nephrectomy
In this surgery, the main idea of kidney cancer treatment is to only concentrate and remove the tumor. In this case, the kidney function would be better preserved and any chance of developing chronic kidney disease as a post-surgery complication is easily averted. This is recommended as an option for those diagnosed with T1 tumors wherein surgery is possible. There has been a significant improvement in this type of approach adopted to perform this procedure through smaller incisions so that the recovery period is quicker and side effects are lower.

Laparoscopic and robotic surgery
This is essentially a minimally invasive kidney cancer treatment technique. In this form of laparoscopic surgery, multiples incisions are made in the abdomen rather than the usual one large incision used in other techniques. A form of telescopic equipment is navigated through these keyhole incisions in order to either remove the kidney completely or only perform a form of partial nephrectomy. The use of robotic equipment has also become quite common in these forms of surgeries. While the process in itself is longer than the traditional surgeries, the pain experienced is not so much. Both these forms of laparoscopic and robotic surgery techniques are performed only by those with specialized training. Make sure to discuss with the surgical team about the impact the surgery would have on one’s case of kidney cancer.