Registry Study Comparing Active Surveillance and Immediate Treatment for Small Kidney Tumors 4 cm or Smaller

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of active surveillance compared to immediate intervention for patients with small kidney tumors less than or equal to 4 cm found incidentally. This observational study aims to prospectively compare these approaches to better understand their impact on disease-specific survival and patient quality of life. The study is led by the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine and includes adult patients aged 18 to 100 years. Participants are offered either active surveillance or immediate intervention. Active surveillance patients are followed closely with regular imaging, blood tests, and quality of life questionnaires according to a set protocol. Patients undergoing immediate intervention may have surgery such as partial or radical nephrectomy or energy ablation, and their follow-up care includes quality of life assessments at the discretion of their surgeon. Some patients initially on surveillance who meet progression criteria or choose to undergo treatment may cross over to delayed intervention. During the study, participants will have ongoing evaluations including imaging and blood work, along with quality of life questionnaires to monitor their condition and treatment impact. Researchers will measure outcomes such as disease-specific survival over five years, safety and tolerability of kidney biopsies, and quality of life differences between treatment groups. The study also aims to identify selection criteria for active surveillance. Participants may be followed for long-term outcomes, with the total study duration extending through 2028.

The Delayed Intervention and Surveillance for Small Renal Masses (DISSRM) Registry