Kidney cancer is one of the ten most common cancers among men and women. In 2015, the American Cancer Society predicts about 61,560 new cases of kidney cancer will occur and about 14,080 people will die from kidney cancer.
When faced with a kidney cancer diagnosis, patients and their cancer care team discuss treatment options that best fit the stage of the cancer, the patients’ overall health, the potential side effects of treatments and the probability of curing the disease, extending life or relieving symptoms.
One of the most effective treatments for most kidney cancers is surgery. Depending on the stage and the location of the cancer, cancer teams may choose to remove either the cancer along with some surrounding kidney tissue, known as a partial nephrectomy (pahr-shuh l  nuh–frek-tuh-mee) or they may choose to remove the entire kidney through a procedure known as a radical nephrectomy.
Patients in central and southern Illinois now have a new option to consider if faced with a kidney cancer diagnosis: the da Vinci robotic retroperitoneal partial nephrectomy. Guided by magnified 3D, high-definition vision system and special wristed instruments that bend and rotate beyond the capacity of a human wrist, surgeons achieve greater control and precision. Using the robotic technology, surgeons can make just a few small incisions, rather than one large incision created in traditional surgery.
Dr. Shaheen Alanee, an SIU School of Medicine surgeon who specializes in urological oncology, tells us more in a Q&A.

Q: What is the goal of a retroperitoneal partial nephrectomy?
A: Partial removal of the kidney for cancer can be done safely and effectively through the traditional trans peritoneal approach (passing instruments through the abdominal cavity), but this requires moving the bowel off the surface of the kidney, thus possibly increasing the risks of bowel injury and lazy bowel after the surgery. Retroperitoneal approach avoids the abdominal cavity entirely and reaches the kidney directly through the back of the patient. It is ideal for tumors on the back surface of the kidney.
This approach also:

• Provides us with more direct access to the blood supply of the kidney, resulting in decreased blood loss during the surgery
• Allows the confinement of blood and urine within the abdominal cavity, minimizing the negative effects on the abdominal organs

Q: How is this type of surgery improved through robotics? What are the advantages to the patient?
A: The da Vinci platform allows us to keep a minimally invasive approach to treating the cancer through small incisions while having the range of motion without removing the entire kidney. It leads to more precise tumor removal, greater likelihood that kidney function will be preserved and shorter hospital stays for our patients.

Dr. Shaheen Alanee completed a two-year fellowship in urologic oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where he gained extensive experience using the da Vinci platform. He is the only surgeon at SIU School of Medicine who has been trained to perform the robotic retroperitoneal partial nephrectomy.