ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - Dr. Adam Levinson reported on the oncologic outcomes of RFA in treating renal masses in solitary kidneys. 31 patients received a total of 34 RFA treatments to solitary renal masses with a median size of 2.0 cm (1-4). The mean follow-up for these patients was 60.5 months (41-80). One primary treatment failure occurred that was successfully managed with retreatment.

Three recurrences occurred, one each at 7, 13, and 39 months post RFA. These were treated with repeat RFA, cryoablation, and laparoscopic radical nephrectomy respectively. The overall recurrence-free survival was 90% with a 100% metastasis-free and disease-specific survival. The overall survival was 71% as 9 patients died of their other comorbid conditions unrelated to RCC.

Creatinine at the most recent follow-up was increased by 0.15mg/dl from the pre-treatment value. This study demonstrates acceptable preservation of renal function and oncologic outcomes with longer term follow-up using RFA.

The fact that the overall survival was 71% underscores the importance of considering the patient's overall health and the probability of death from RCC when deciding whether to treat a tumor.

Presented by Adam Levinson, MD, Devesh Agarwal, MD, Myrna Sroka, MD, Ioannis Varkarakis, MD, Stephen Solomon, MD, Thomas Jarrett, MD, Louis Kavoussi, and Li-Ming Su, MD at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) - May 17 - 22, 2008. Orange County Convention Center - Orlando, Florida, USA.

Reported by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Geoff Box, MD

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