Laparoscopy for renal cell carcinoma

The Clinical Department of Urology and Urological Oncology is one of the largest centers for the surgical and medical treatment of kidney tumors. As a focus center for laparoscopy, the technique is the main therapeutic option in surgical treatment. Since 2002, the MHH has acquired extensive expertise in laparoscopy. Studies show that minimally invasive techniques not only show comparable oncological results, but also lower surgical morbidity, so that a faster recovery can be expected. Laparoscopy is now the accepted standard - not only for the removal of shrunken kidneys or kidneys that are the cause of problems such as infections or high blood pressure after a kidney transplant, but it has also become a standard procedure in tumor surgery. Every minimally invasive therapy is preceded by individualized therapy planning, in which the following criteria are taken into account:

  • Oncological outcome (tumor-free)
  • Renal preservation
  • Minimally invasiveness

Depending on the size and location of a kidney tumor, various laparoscopic / retroperitoneoscopic or other minimally invasive treatment strategies are available, such as cryotherapy and radiofrequency ablation or microwave therapy:

  • Laparoscopic kidney removal (nephrectomy): According to the guidelines of the European Association of Urology (EAU) for organ-confined tumors
  • Laparoscopic organ-preserving kidney tumor removal (partial kidney resection, partial nephrectomy)

The location of a tumor, its size, the size of the organ and patient-specific factors determine the approach through which the procedure is performed. These laparoscopic or minimally invasive techniques are available at the Clinical Department of Urology and Urological Oncology:

  • Conventional laparoscopy (abdominal cavity endoscopy) via up to four surgical accesses
  • Retroperitoneoscopic surgery: endoscopy of the posterior abdominal cavity. Surgery via the posterior abdominal cavity in the kidney area

However, there are also constellations in which the size of the tumour or its location require an open surgical procedure. This is particularly the case in the case of organ-spreading growth or due to vascular involvement of the inferior vena cava.

In the field of renal tumor surgery for vascular involvement of the inferior vena cava, the MHH is the center of excellence in northern Germany and performs this procedure in interdisciplinary cooperation with colleagues from vascular surgery and abdominal surgery.