Patients with small kidney tumors are more likely to be offered treatment options based on surgeons' case volume and type of practice than on tumor characteristics, according to Mayo Clinic research findings.
Specifically, Mayo Clinic researchers found fellowship-trained surgeons who practice in academic medical centers with high volumes of patients with kidney tumors were 70-80 percent more likely to follow American Urological Association guidelines by recommending partial nephrectomy. Surgeons in private practice who see few patients with kidney tumors more often offered radical nephrectomy: removal of the entire kidney.
The study shows that as kidney tumors get larger and more complex, all surgeons tend to offer a radical nephrectomy. However, the tumor complexity that may result in one surgeon recommending total removal of the kidney may be well below a more experienced surgeon's threshold.
Read the Mayo Clinic news release about management of small kidney tumors.
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Specifically, Mayo Clinic researchers found fellowship-trained surgeons who practice in academic medical centers with high volumes of patients with kidney tumors were 70-80 percent more likely to follow American Urological Association guidelines by recommending partial nephrectomy. Surgeons in private practice who see few patients with kidney tumors more often offered radical nephrectomy: removal of the entire kidney.
The study shows that as kidney tumors get larger and more complex, all surgeons tend to offer a radical nephrectomy. However, the tumor complexity that may result in one surgeon recommending total removal of the kidney may be well below a more experienced surgeon's threshold.
Read the Mayo Clinic news release about management of small kidney tumors.
Related Articles on the Mayo Clinic:
Mayo, Geisinger, Cleveland Clinic May Not Participate in ACOs
Study: Robotic Surgery Effective for Hard-to-Reach Larynx Cancer
Florida's Mayo Clinic Receives $1.7M Gift to Help Build Education Simulation Center