Active Surveillance

What does Active Surveillance mean?

Active surveillance is the least invasive treatment option. Active surveillance means that your doctor will order CT or MRI scans to watch the tumor for growth. You may have up to 2 scans per year. If the mass grows to a bigger size or faster than is expected for a benign tumor, you may undergo treatment (surgery or ablation).

What Could Happen if I Undergo Active Surveillance?

• The vast majority – 98 or 99 out of 100 patients (98-99%) do not develop metastatic disease during active surveillance because the small kidney mass is being watched for growth.
• If the mass does not grow after 5 years, your doctor may want to continue to watch it with CT scans, but the chances of spreading are close to zero.
• About 12 out of 100 patients (12%) eventually undergo surgery because a mass is growing larger or faster than would be expected for a benign tumor. Even if the tumor grows before it was removed with surgery, and it turns out to be cancer, the risk of dying from kidney cancer is as low as if surgery was performed when the mass was first seen.