Robotic Kidney Cancer Surgery May Aid Recovery, Spare Kidney Function

Robotic and minimally invasive surgery for kidney cancer may lead to less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, reduced pain and quicker recovery time, according to Dr. Armine Smith.

Smith is a urologist at Johns Hopkins University, the director of urologic oncology at Sibley Memorial Hospital, and co-director for women's bladder cancer program at Johns Hopkins University and Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute.

Partial nephrectomy, which removes only part of the kidney, can help preserve kidney function and may help patients avoid dialysis. Some studies suggest that better kidney function may support cardiovascular health, though it is not yet clear how much this impacts outcomes. Smith emphasized that whenever possible, the goal is to preserve kidney function and minimize pain and scarring.

Transcript:

CURE: With advancements in minimally invasive and robotic surgery for kidney cancer such as partial and nephrectomy, what are potential benefits for patients regarding recovery time and long-term kidney function?

Smith: Robotic and minimally invasive kidney surgery has been a game changer because it gives patients less blood loss, quicker recovery, less pain when recovering from surgery and less time spent in the hospital. Robotic approach, on the top of the minimally invasive approach, has allowed us to treat more complex tumors — just because of robotic instruments have like additional degree of motion compared to laparoscopic instruments.

As far as the long-term function, the partial nephrectomy preserves a lot of the kidney and that allows patients to have better kidney function going forward [and] avoid dialysis. There have been some studies suggesting that having better kidney function, rather, helps patients with the cardiovascular health, although, you know, the jury's a little bit out whether it's a surgical or kind of medical disease and if it really matters. But you know, all in all, we try to preserve the kidney function when possible and do minimally invasive surgery just to optimize the recovery and minimize the pain and scarring.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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