KOCHI: In India, kidney tumours affect two out of every 1,00,000 men and one out of every 1,00,000 women. While not all kidney tumours are malignant, addressing them is crucial as they can harm the affected kidney.
While conditions like kidney stones and hypertension can harm the kidneys, the damage caused by diabetes is paramount. Additionally, patients with a tumour in one kidney have a slightly increased risk of developing a tumour in the other one.
Therefore, the main goal of kidney tumour treatment is to remove the tumour while preserving as much of the kidney as possible and maintaining kidney function.
The primary treatment option for kidney tumours is surgical intervention, but this approach may entail the loss of one kidney and kidney function. However, preserving kidney function is possible today with minimally invasive robotic surgery using advanced systems like da Vinci, compared to laparoscopy (another minimally invasive surgery).
Benefits
Preserving kidney function is important for a patient’s overall quality of life and health. It can reduce cardiac issues later on.
Maintaining some degree of kidney function reduces symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, and sleep disturbances. Patients with preserved kidney function can also engage in work and activities they enjoy while reducing the risk of complications such as Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease.
Historically, kidney tumours were removed using open surgery. However, robotic-assisted surgery combines technology with benefits of open surgery for both surgeons and patients.
It offers surgeons enhanced visualisation, enabling precise differentiation between tumour and healthy tissue, thus preserving kidney function. It also improves dexterity and provides easier access, especially for high BMI patients. Notably, it provides a three-dimensional view, eliminates instrument tremors, and reduces robotic interface movements.
For patients, this approach combines the benefits of open surgery with advanced surgical technology. Robotic-assisted surgery enhances overall survival rates , reduces post-operative pain, lowers the risk of infections, and minimises complications. It results in shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery.
Precision
Today, advanced robotic-assisted surgeries help preserve as much healthy tissue as feasible to ensure good post-operative quality of life. Procedures like partial nephrectomy, which involves removing only the diseased portion of the nephrons while sparing the rest, can now be performed with remarkable precision.
Improved visualisation and dexterity help surgeons perform meticulous surgeries benefiting patients with comorbidities such as diabetes. Whether it involves preserving kidney function during cancer treatment or addressing urological obstructions, robotics has elevated patient care and healthcare delivery.
The writer is a clinical professor of uro-oncology and robotic surgeon at Amrita Hospital in Kochi
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