Large Renal Tumors Grow More Quickly

Patients with large renal tumors require immediate treatment, according to German researchers.

Investigators at the University of Munich identified nine patients with solitary large renal masses (greater than 4 cm in diameter) who had abdominal imaging with identification of renal masses more than six months before hospital admission. In no case did the initial imaging lead to admission.

The median follow-up from initial diagnosis to surgery was 14.6 months. The median observed tumor growth rate was 6.41 cm/year, much higher than the growth rate of small renal masses, which is assumed to be 0.1-0.7 cm/year, according to a report in BJU International (2010;105:928-931).

The researchers concluded that tumors 4 cm in diameter or larger are not candidates for active surveillance.