Update on Thermal Ablation of Renal Cell Carcinoma: Oncologic Control, Technique Comparison, Renal Function Preservation, and New Modalities

Recent studies report mid- and long-term oncologic control with thermal ablation for small renal tumors to be equivalent to surgery. Comparisons of cryoablation, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and laparoscopic approaches to percutaneous approaches report equivalent results. Studies report little or no decrease in renal function after ablation of renal tumors. These studies support the use of percutaneous thermal ablation for treatment of small renal malignancies. Studies also report that percutaneous ablation is a safe and durable treatment of the primary tumor in stage IV patients, ultrasound guidance for percutaneous ablation can be effective, and chyluria is relatively common after RFA. Results were disappointing for newer ablation techniques, including microwave, irreversible electroporation, and high-intensity focused ultrasound. These techniques require improvements before their use in place of RFA and cryoablation. The rates of diagnostic and subtype-specific renal tumor biopsies can be improved by using both aspirate and core techniques.