Study explores treatment trends in patients with localized kidney tumors

Data from a recent study showed that over the last decade, 9.2% of patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery for localized kidney cancer were considered to be “ideal candidates for active surveillance (AS).”¹

The investigators also found a positive trend in the proportion of patients who met the criteria for AS but instead chose to undergo surgery over the 10-year study period (2013 to 2023). Specifically, there was a 2.4% increase in the proportion of patients meeting the criteria for AS who underwent surgery.

In a recent interview with Urology Times®, lead author Sonam Saxena discusses these findings in more depth, offering her thoughts on the reasons for these observed trends as well as potential directions for future research. Saxena is a research fellow at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

In total, the study included 1918 patients from the prospective Multicenter Kidney Cancer Database. An “ideal candidate for AS” was defined in the study as being patients over 65 years of age with tumors less than 2 cm and low nephrometry scores (4 to 6).

According to Saxena, the trends observed in the study may be attributable to recent advances in surgical treatment options for kidney cancer or to patient preferences.

She explained, “When it comes to patients choosing treatment between active surveillance or the range of other treatment options and hearing about these minimally invasive surgeries, maybe it's something about the shared decision-making or the patient preferences that is leading to this. Especially when they're hearing about something as scary as kidney cancer, some patients may want to say, ‘I would rather just do the surgery [and] take this tumor out.’”

Future work on this topic could include an examination of the factors that guide patients’ decision-making when it comes to treatment, Saxena noted.

REFERENCE

1. Saxena S, Gelman S, Okhawere K, et al. Ten-year analysis of active surveillance rates in patients with localized kidney tumors: Insights from the multicenter kidney cancer database. J Urol. 2025;213(5S):e1320. doi:10.1097/01.JU.0001110180.58750.4a.11