Long-Term Outcomes After Laparoscopy-Assisted Cryoablation for Renal Cell Carcinoma-Results From a Single-Center Series.

INTRODUCTION

Laparoscopic-assisted renal cryoablation (LRC) is a treatment option for small renal masses (SRMs), offering a nephron-sparing alternative to partial nephrectomy. This study evaluated long-term oncologic outcomes and perioperative complications after LRC in a single-center cohort.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective single-center review of 52 patients who underwent LRC for SRMs ≤4 cm between 2006 and 2015. Primary outcomes included local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes included 90-day postoperative complications graded by the Clavien-Dindo system.

RESULTS

The 5- and 10-year LRFS were 90% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 86-94%) and 90% (95% CI 86-94%), and MFS were 94% (95% CI 92-97%) and 94% (95% CI 92-97%), respectively. OS for patients with malignant histology was 87% (CI 82-91%). Approximately 30% of patients had benign tumors. The overall complication rate was 21%. No perioperative mortality occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

LRC provided effective long-term local tumor control with acceptable complication rates in patients with SRMs. However, the lack of preprocedural biopsy led to overtreatment of benign tumors. The findings highlight the importance of histologic confirmation prior to ablation.