Ablation of Small Renal Masses: Practice Patterns at Academic Institutions in the United States

Abstract

Ablative technologies are well utilized for the treatment of small renal masses at current academic institutions with urologists directly involved in the ablation procedure in only half of the institutions. While preablation biopsy is common, pathology is rarely known prior to ablation.

Utility of fine‐needle aspiration and core biopsy with touch preparation in the diagnosis of renal lesions

“…2,5,6,13,23,24 A recent survey of practice patterns at academic centers in the United States report performing a biopsy of a renal mass using CB (67%), FNA (5%), and CB and FNA (28%). 25 Most reviews and series suggest that FNA and CB are complementary procedures, and a combined approach will increase diagnostic utility due to the differing advantages and disadvantages of each modality. 1,4,22,26 The advantages of FNA are more extensive sampling of the entire lesion and rapid on-site evaluation, and the disadvantages are less specific information on tumor type and grade.…”

Cryoablation for Small Renal Masses: Selection Criteria, Complications, and Functional and Oncologic Results

“…In a survey of 64 institutions performing ablative procedures for SRMs, Patel et al identified laparoscopic CA as the most commonly performed ablative procedure [5].…”

Local tumour ablation for localized kidney cancer: Practice patterns in Canada

“…8,9 In the most recent survey of American academic centres, Patel et al found that LTA was available at all academic centres (compared to 85.1% of academic centres in our study). 8 They also reported that most centres had access to laparoscopic cryoablation (83%) or laparoscopic radiofrequency (20%). This contrasts with low access rates to laparoscopic cryoablation (9%) or radiofrequency (7%) in Canada.…”

“…The main one resides in the low response rate (19.5%). This response is lower than the one reported by Bandi et al (62%) 9 and the one reported by Patel et al (52%) 8 in similar surveys from the U.S. However, in those cases, the survey was sent directly to all academic centres, thus not comprising other types of practices.…”

“…In a survey of U.S. academic institutions, Patel et al found that 55% of urologists were involved in percutaneous LTA. 8 Potential use of laparoscopic LTA could reverse this trend by virtue of placing the technology in urologists' hands.…”