Albert Einstein Medical Center Offers New Minimally-Invasive Treatment for Kidney Cancer

Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2004 – Albert Einstein Medical Center is one of only a few hospitals in the Delaware Valley to offer a new minimally-invasive treatment for kidney cancer. The procedure is called laparoscopic-directed cryosurgery for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. “It is a major advance in the treatment of kidney cancer since it allows patients to avoid major surgery and preserve their kidney,” says Phillip Ginsberg, DO, Chairman of the Division of Urology at Albert Einstein Medical Center. “With this new technology, we’re able to freeze and destroy the cancerous cells and not damage the healthy tissue of the kidney,” Ginsberg adds.

Surgery is the primary treatment for kidney cancer. Prior to this advance, doctors would remove the whole kidney along with the adrenal gland (radical nephrectomy), or remove only the diseased part of the kidney (partial nephrectomy). Cryotherapy, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze cancerous tissue, has been an effective treatment for prostate cancer, and is now being applied to renal cell carcinoma. The best candidates for the procedure are those who have an early-stage, small, localized tumor (tumors less than 3 to 4 centimeters in size), or patients who may be at risk for undergoing surgery to remove a kidney.

Through the use of laparoscopic technology and ultrasound guidance, three tiny holes are made in the patient’s belly to allow the insertion of the camera. Needle-thin probes are inserted into a small incision in the center of the tumor, and liquid nitrogen which is minus 40 to 70 degrees Celsius, shoots through the probes freezing the diseased tissue. The liquid nitrogen stops the blood supply to the tumor so it shrinks, scars and is destroyed. The tumor is then thawed and re-frozen. The probes are removed and the three tiny holes are closed using a sealant, without the need for stitches.

The procedure, which is FDA-approved, involves minimal pain, no bleeding, less risk of complications, and much shorter recovery time. Patients stay over one night in the hospital for monitoring and return in two weeks for a post-operative check-up. Three to six months following the procedure, patients come in for imaging studies (CAT scan).

With this new procedure, patients diagnosed with kidney cancer now have three options for treatment: 1) to have an open nephrectomy (removal of all or part of the kidney) through an open incision; 2) minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery (to remove all or part of the kidney through several tiny incisions); or 3) the new laparoscopic-directed cryosurgery.

Each year in the United States approximately 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with kidney cancer and it is the cause of death in nearly 12,000 Americans annually. Kidney cancer is slightly more common in males, and is typically diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 70. The most common kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma. With early detection and treatment, survival rates for kidney cancer range from 79 to 100 percent. Risk factors include smoking, overuse of certain pain medications, asbestos exposure, a high fat diet, being overweight and long-term dialysis.

Cryotherapy is also used at Einstein Medical Center for the treatment of patients with localized prostate cancer. This is also a minimally invasive, ultrasonic-guided treatment option.

Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, a member of the Jefferson Health System, provides healthcare services through Albert Einstein Medical Center, Germantown Community Health Services, Willow Terrace (a nursing home), MossRehab/Einstein at Elkins Park, MossRehab at Tabor Road, Willowcrest (a center for subacute care), Belmont Behavioral Health and a number of outpatient and satellite locations. Einstein also operates a primary care network, Einstein Neighborhood Healthcare. For more information, visit www.einstein.edu or call 1-800-EINSTEIN.

Publish date: April 29, 2004