The multi-speciality approach to management of localised kidney cancer

Abstract

Historically, kidney cancer was approached in a siloed single-speciality fashion, with urological surgeons managing the localised stages of the disease and medical oncologists caring for patients if metastases develop. However, improvements in the management of localised kidney cancer have occurred rapidly over the past two decades with greater understanding of the disease biology, diagnostic options and innovations in curative treatments. These developments are favourable for patients but provide a substantially more complex landscape for patients and clinicians to navigate, with associated challenging decisions about who to treat, how, and when. As such, the skill sets needed to manage the various aspects of the disease and guide patients appropriately outstrips the capabilities of one particular specialist, and the evolution of a multi-speciality approach to the management of kidney cancer is now essential. In this review, we summarise the current best multi-speciality practice for the management of localised kidney cancer as well as the areas in need of further research and development.