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June 7, 2010
New Mayo Clinic Study Shows Surgery May Increase Kidney Cancer Survival Rates
by Denene Brox
New Mayo Clinic study findings released last week show a positive correlation between surgery and survival rates for patients with renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.
The study examined the benefits of surgical treatment of renal cell carcinoma in 888 patients. Researchers found that patients who underwent complete removal of all tumors that had spread beyond their kidneys survived an average of five years, while those who didn’t have any metastatic tumors removed had a much shorter survival rate of one year.
Researchers note that these findings are particularly encouraging because renal cell carcinoma is a difficult cancer to cure once it has spread to other organs within the body.
The lead author of the study, Bradley Leibovich, M.D. Mayo Clinic urological surgeon said in a press release: "Surgery remains critically important in the treatment plan for many patients. We are always looking for ways to improve patient care, including aggressive surgical management of the primary tumor and, in some cases, the metastases.”
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