Safety and oncological outcome following radiofrequency ablation of small renal masses in a single center.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for small renal masses (SRMs) at a large single-institution center during a period of 12 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 118 patients underwent RFA for SRM between July 2006 and July 2018 at our institution. We included demographic information, comorbidity, procedural details, and oncological outcome in the analysis. Survival analysis was performed using competing risk. RESULTS: 87 males and 31 females with median age 66 years underwent RFA. Median tumor size was 23 mm. Tumor biopsy was performed in 94% of cases, of which 56% were confirmed renal cell carcinoma (RCCs). Twenty-eight patients had benign tumors or underwent treatment for recurrence of prior RCC. Median follow-up of 5 years. Median Charlson Comorbidity Index was 5. Major complications occurred in 1.7%. No change in kidney function was observed. The initial treatment response was 98%. Among patients treated for newly diagnosed radiological suspected RCC without Von Hippel-Lindau or benign biopsy (90 pts), the cumulative incidence of radiological recurrence after 5 and 10 years was 6.6% (95% CI: 0.8-12%) and 16% (95% CI: 4.2-28%), respectively. Three patients died of RCC during follow-up. The cumulative incidence of kidney cancer death was 4.5% (95% CI: 4.3-13%) after 10 years. The incidence of other-cause mortality was 50% (95% CI: 34-67%). CONCLUSION: CT-guided RFA is a safe and effective treatment option for patients unsuitable for surgery. RFA is a good alternative to partial or radical nephrectomy for SRMs, although randomized trials comparing surgery to minimally invasive thermal ablation techniques are missing.

Burden of renal cancer in Nordic countries.

Aim: To report the current incidence and estimate the future burden of renal cancer in Nordic countries until the year 2040.Methods: Most recent incidence and prevalence data for renal cancer were retrieved using the NORDCAN database (years 2011-2015). Publicly available population counts (years 2011-2015) and estimates (years 2019-2040) provided from the official statistics bureaus of the Nordic countries were used. Averaged country-specific age- and gender-stratified estimates were calculated using data from years 2011-2015 and projected into 2019 (current estimates) and for every year until 2040 (future estimates). Sensitivity analyses were made to evaluate the consequences of increases or decreases in changes in incident rates.Results: Incidence and prevalence of renal cancer increased with age and were higher among males. This study estimates incidence and prevalence in 2019 to, respectively, 910 and 5,747 for Denmark, 1,039 and 8,043 for Finland, 67 and 549 for Iceland, 914 and 6,481 for Norway, and 1,255 and 10,695 for Sweden. In all Nordic countries, the incidence and prevalence is expected to increase due to an aging population. An increasing proportion of patients will be 70 years or above.Conclusions: In Nordic countries, the burden of renal cancer will increase during the next years and a larger proportion of patients will be elderly. These demographic changes highlight the need for cancer prevention, innovation in minimally invasive approaches and focus on active surveillance strategies.

Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy for Large Renal Carcinoma with Succinate Dehydrogenase Deficiency.

Background: Germline mutations in succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) are associated with multifocal cancers: pituitary gland tumors, pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and renal-cell carcinomas (RCCs). SDH-deficient renal-cell carcinoma (SDH-RCC) was first identified in 2004 as an inherited kidney cancer with mutations in the SDH gene. SDH consists of A, B, C, and D units. Mutation in the SDHB gene is the most common mutation in SDH-deficient RCCs. Case Presentation: We report a case of a 51-year-old healthy man diagnosed with SDHB germline mutation and RCCs. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) showed a 12 cm tumor in the upper pole of the left kidney. A hand-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy was performed and the histopathology of the tumor showed SDH-deficient RCC with clear surgical margins. Six months after the initial presentation, the patient had a slightly impaired renal function and was disease-free on PET/CT. Conclusion: Patients with SDH-deficient RCC are at risk of multifocal kidney tumors and should be offered lifelong follow-up. To preserve the renal function, nephron-sparing surgery is the choice of treatment when feasible, regardless of tumor size.

[Insufficient knowledge about battered child syndrome among doctors in the emergency department].

The aim of the study was to determine the present knowledge regarding battered child syndrome (BCS) among doctors in the emergency department. Nineteen doctors with different educational levels from seven hospitals in Denmark were interviewed. For children younger than 18 months, 68%, 65% and 25% of the participants related femur-, collum costae- and corner fractures to BCS respectively. We found that more than one third of the 19 doctors did not know which fractures to look for when suspecting BCS.