Abstract
Purpose of Review
To review the growth kinetics of small renal masses and available imaging modalities for mass characterization and surveillance, highlight current organizational recommendations for the active surveillance of small renal masses, and discuss the most recently reported oncological outcomes of patients as they relate to various surveillance imaging protocols and progression to delayed intervention.
Recent Findings
Overall, organizational guideline recommendations are broad and lack specifics regarding timing and modality for follow-up imaging of small renal masses. Additionally, despite general consensus in the literature about certain criteria to trigger delayed intervention, there exist no formal guidelines.
Summary
Active surveillance of small renal masses is an acceptable management strategy for patients with prohibitive surgical risk; however, standardized imaging protocols for surveillance are lacking, as are randomized, prospective trials to evaluate the ideal follow-up protocol.
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References
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Christine W. Liaw, Jared S. Winoker, and Reza Mehrazin each declare no potential conflicts of interest.
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This article is part of the Topical Collection on New Imaging Techniques
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Liaw, C.W., Winoker, J.S. & Mehrazin, R. Imaging Protocols for Active Surveillance in Renal Cell Carcinoma. Curr Urol Rep 19, 81 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-018-0830-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-018-0830-z