Dr. Wysock on Robotic Approaches in Cytoreductive Nephrectomy

James Wysock, MD, chief of the urology service at NYC Health and Hospitals at Bellevue, assistant professor, Department of Urology, NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses the placement of novel robotic and minimally invasive approaches in nephrectomy.

Cytoreductive nephrectomy, a treatment to surgically remove renal cell carcinoma, is a way of removing the tumor and taking out most of the cancer with the understanding that some will remain. Though this is not generally a surgically sanctioned approach, it has been identified as a factor in improving patient outcomes when the disease has advanced or become metastatic.

Known to improve overall survival, surgeons are now employing novel robotic and minimally invasive approaches in nephrectomy to manage more and more advanced disease around the kidney, especially in more complex partial nephrectomies.

Even more options are available in the realm of cytoreductive nephrectomy and inferior vena cava thrombosis for very advanced disease because it offers lower morbidity for patients. Some of the poorer-risk patients who would ordinarily receive supportive care may also be candidates for receiving minimally invasive treatments.