Preoperative Kidney Tumor Embolization as Procedure for Therapy of Advanced Kidney Cancer

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative kidney tumor embolization is standard procedure for therapy in advanced kidney cancer. Preoperative embolization has a goal to reduce intraoperative bleeding and also to shorten the time of surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively observed 50 patients between 2000-2011, in which the preoperative embolization was performed. Mean age of patients was 64 years. All patients with preoperative embolization were compared with the group of 51 patients from Urology Sarajevo, who underwent nephrectomy without preoperative embolization. RESULTS: Symptoms that are dominating among patients were haematuria and pain. Analysis of mean size of tumors based on CT evaluation showed statistically significance in between the biggest size of tumors in group from Hamburg (9.11±3cm) and the smallest size of tumors in Sarajevo group (4.94±1.6cm) p=0.0001. Reason for this is difference in selection of patients for treatment in Hamburg from Sarajevo. CONCLUSION: Kidney as functional finishing organ is extremely suitable for transcatheter therapeutic procedures. The gold standard in the treatment of advanced and metastatic tumor is the nephrectomy. As preparation for nephrectomy in metastatic cancer total capillary embolization is performed. After embolization, surgery is shorter, procedure can be done 24-48 hours after embolization or delayed nephrectomy done 2-3 weeks after the intervention.