Dr. Ko on Renal Transplantation Following Tumor Excision

Dicken Shiu-Chung Ko, MD, Department of Urology, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses current evidence of renal transplantation following tumor excision.

Because there is a general shortage of donated kidneys, Ko says that it is becoming more medically acceptable to perform renal transplantation in patients from donated kidneys with renal tumors. It has been questionable whether the mass can be surgically removed safely in select kidneys, he adds.

In a recent study examining the nine-year follow-up of 105 patients with kidney transplants from kidneys with resected tumors, there was only one case of recurrence., Ko explains. This demonstrates the potential safety and feasibility of this procedure in select patients with renal cell carcinoma.