Overview:

This course will review the significant progress that has occurred during the past decade in our understanding of the biology, evaluation and management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The heterogeneous nature of this disease, the limitations of the current TNM staging system, and new multifactorial prognostic algorithms will be discussed. The role of observation, total versus partial nephrectomy and new forms of minimally invasive therapy for localized RCC will be reviewed. The status of multimodality therapy for metastatic disease, incorporating targeted molecular drugs, will be discussed. Data from the peer-reviewed literature will be analyzed to provide valid outcome-based comparisons of both established and developmental treatment modalities for localized and advanced disease.

Objectives: After attending this course, the participants should be able to:

• review the histologic, molecular and clinical characteristics of RCC
• outline the natural history of RCC and prognostic variables affecting outcome
• discuss the available treatments for localized RCC including open versus laparoscopic radical and partial nephrectomy, and energy-based tumor ablation
• describe the emerging role of targeted molecular therapy in metastatic disease
• assess the current role of cytoreductive nephrectomy and metastasectomy in metastatic disease

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