Renal Cell Carcinoma: Follow-Up with Magnetic Resonance Imaging After Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation

Abstract

The estimated number of new cases of renal cell cancer (RCC) in the United States in 2005 was 22,490 for men and 13,670 for women (Jemal et al. 2005). This equates to greater than a 30% increase in the incidence of RCC over the last 10 years and a greater than 100% increase in the incidence of RCC since 1950 (Boring et al. 1994; Zagoria 2003). Most of this increase has occurred because of the diagnosis of small, localized tumors detected incidentally in patients imaged for other reasons (Chow et al. 1999; Zagoria 2003).

While radical nephrectomy has long been considered the standard treatment for localized RCC, nephron-sparing surgery has grown in popularity (Licht and Novick 1993). Segmental resection is particularly valuable in patients who have undergone a prior nephrectomy or have a contralateral non-functioning renal unit. Other minimally invasive treatment modalities, such as laser ablation and radiofrequency thermal ablation, are increasingly chosen for patients who are either not surgical candidates because of their comorbidities or who refuse surgery. During the past several years, substantial experience has been gained by numerous research groups in the radiofrequency thermal ablation of patients with RCC (Gervais et al. 2000, 2003; Lui et al. 2003; Mayo-Smith et al. 2003; Raj et al. 2003; Roy-Choudhury et al. 2003; Lewin et al. 2004).