Radiofrequency Ablation, Partial Nephrectomy for RCC Offer Similar Long-Term Outcomes

In appropriately selected patients, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective minimally invasive treatment for cT1a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) that offers long-term oncologic outcomes comparable to nephron-sparing surgery, data show.

In a study of 74 patients with cT1a RCC—of whom 37 underwent RFA and 37 underwent partial nephrectomy (PN)—Jeffrey A. Cadeddu, MD, and colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas compared five-year outcomes associated with the two treatments. Five-year overall survival with RFA and PN was 97.2% and 100%, respectively, according to a report in European Urology (published online ahead of print). Cancer-specific survival was 97.2% and 100%, disease-free survival was 89.2% and 89.2%, local recurrence-free survival was 91.7% and 94.6%, and metastasis-free survival was 97.2% and 91.8%. None of the differences between the groups was statistically significant.

The median follow-up was 6.5 years and 6.1 years for the RFA and PN groups, respectively. The RFA group was significantly older and had more advanced comorbidities than the PN group.