Kidney cancer recurrence: predictors and outcomes of repeat partial nephrectomy (literature review)

In the last ten years, the number of organ preservation surgeries for kidney cancer significantly increased. Per literature data, the incidence of recurrences after partial nephrectomy is between 2.9 and 11 %, mostly they are located in the operated or contralateral kidney. Positive surgical margin, high stage and histological subtype of the tumor, as well as hereditary diseases, can serve as predictors for recurrences. In renal cancer recurrences, radical nephrectomy, ablation therapy and repeat tumor resection are possible treatment methods. Kidney resection, same as in primary renal tumors, leads to chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular complications. Different ablation methods, despite their low invasiveness, are not always technically possible. Therefore, in patients with kidney cancer recurrence and satisfactory functional status, repeat partial nephrectomy can be a method of choice. The literature describes the outcomes of open repeat kidney resection with high incidence of general and severe complications. The number of these complications significantly decreased due to the use of robot-assisted access for resection of recurrent renal tumors. Functional characteristics of repeat kidney resections do not significantly decrease, especially in robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. Oncological outcomes of these surgeries remain intermediate, further prospective multi-center trials are needed for their confirmation.