Two University of Alberta doctors have recently made a study and showed that kidney cancer patients can also do well with partial kidney removal. The study has revealed that usually the kidney cancer patients needing surgery have their whole kidney taken out but the patients can healthily survive long-term even if just a part of the organ is removed.

The study was done by Urologist Dr. Ron Moore and kidney specialist Dr. Branko Braam. Total 1,150 kidney-cancer cases in Alberta were studied by the doctors in 2002 to 2007 to see how patients did after surgery. They found that less than three years after surgery, 12.5% patients who had their whole kidney removed experienced kidney-related complications whereas only 7% of those who had just part of the organ removed suffered complications.

Regarding the above situation, Dr. Braam said that “the study shows kidney-cancer patients and doctors need to carefully consider the long-term health implications when deciding which type of surgery is best. It's of course better to just have part of your kidney removed when you think about kidney function. The outcome for your cancer is not really different."

Both the doctors revealed in the study that the surgery patients with kidney cancer, who end up getting the entire kidney taken out, are more likely to develop chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.