Dual mission: to cure the patient of cancer of the kidney and preserve the function of these organs. The Hospital Clínic of Barcelona has started using a pioneering technique in Europe that manages to successfully remove this type of tumor without the need to remove the kidney completely, which avoids the patient having to undergo kidney dialysis after.
A good example is Luis Ocaña, a patient of 70 years who had a large tumor in his right kidney and severe renal insufficiency. It’s now been a month that I had surgery, and, according to this newspaper, is “in very good health, without the need for dialysis and leading a perfectly normal life, so I celebrate life every day”.
One of the responsible of Urology of the hospital of barcelona, Raul Martos, has explained that the new technique allows to extract only the tumor. “Before, during an operation they quitábamos the entire kidney (radical nephrectomy), patients were required to go to dialysis. Now, we introduce liquids of preservation in the kidney while we operate, which allows to preserve the function you have left and avoid entering in dialysis”.
This technique has been applied with success in patients who had tumors up to seven centimeters. As they argue, the specialists, the approach allows us to develop the operation laparoscopic rather than traditional open surgery and, consequently, patient recovery is faster.
Previously to this mode, stopping the function of the kidney through the introduction of a clamp to avoid the entrance of blood to the kidney, with the goal of being able to work well in the removal of the tumor. This meant that I had less time to maneuver and increasing the risk of damage to the kidney irreversibly during the process. Now, a catheter is inserted through the femoral artery to block the artery of the kidney with a balloon that facilitates the perfusion with a solution (serum) cold that will allow that it is not damaged and so that it can work more time and, finally, to extract the tumor in a more efficient manner.
“we Hope to use this technique in the 10%-12% of the 150-160 cases with kidney cancer we serve every year at the Clinic”, underlines Antonio Alcaraz, chief of Urology service of the hospital, who takes the opportunity to clarify that the approach is intended for patients with kidney tumors complexes and in renal failure, moderate or serious. As well explained in the framework of the Urofòrum, a meeting that brings together more than 300 specialists in Urology from around the world.
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