[Role of interventional radiology in the treatment of primary and metastatic renal cancer].

Abstract

More and more asymptomatic renal lesions are diagnosed as a result of the growing number of routine imaging examinations. Lesion characterization is often only possible with percutaneous biopsy. Stage T1 renal cell carcinoma is potentially curable not only by partial nephrectomy, but also with thermoablations. The most common ones used in renal cell carcinoma are radiofrequency (RFA), microwave (MWA) and cryoablation (CA). All of them have different physical background with different advantages. They have excellent oncological results, though only a few prospective trials compare their results to surgery. Apart from local renal cell carcinoma, metastatized renal cell carcinomas are also possible to treat with interventional radiological procedures. Renal artery embolization may be done prior to nephrectomy or as a palliative step. Furthermore, hypervascularized renal cell carcinoma metastases can also be embolized preoperatively. Interventional radiological tools may be used for the diagnosis, curative and palliative treatment and also as an aid to surgical procedures of renal cell carcinoma.