Active Surveillance for Small Renal Masses: A Review of the Aims and Preliminary Results of the DISSRM Registry

Active surveillance is an increasingly accepted treatment modality for select patients with small renal masses. The DISSRM (delayed intervention and surveillance for small renal masses) registry is a multi-institutional, prospectively collected data repository which includes patients who select active surveillance for their small renal masses, as well as others who select immediate intervention. Preliminary results from the registry suggest oncological equivalence of active surveillance and surgical modalities in the intermediate term. Additionally, the registry provides the first published data regarding trends in renal function among patients undergoing active surveillance. On average, these patients experience a decline in renal function, and their renal functional outcomes are superior to those of patients undergoing radical nephrectomy, but do not significantly differ from those of patients undergoing partial nephrectomy.