Advances in clinical application of imaging-guided percutaneous ablation treatment for renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common primary tumor in kidney with its morbidity rate increased year by year. Nephron-sparing surgery, such as partial nephrectomy and ablation treatment, has been widely used in clinical treatment of RCC patients, especially in treatment of those with the diameter of their RCC less than 4 cm or those who could not undergo surgery due to different reasons. Imaging-guided percutaneous ablation treatment has become an effective therapy for some RCC patients in the past 10 or more years due to its safety, minimal invasion and minor damage of renal function. Following is a review of the commonly used cryoablation, radiofrequency and microwave ablation therapies for RCC.