Dr. Armine Smith is a Urologist at Johns Hopkins University, the director of urologic oncology at Sibley Memorial Hospital, and co-director for women's bladder cancer program at Johns Hopkins University and Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute.

Dr. Armine Smith

Robotic and minimally invasive kidney cancer surgery may reduce pain, shorten recovery time and preserve kidney function, according to Dr. Armine Smith.

Robotic Kidney Cancer Surgery May Aid Recovery, Spare Kidney Function

Robotic and minimally invasive surgery for kidney cancer may lead to less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, reduced pain and quicker recovery time, according to Dr. Armine Smith.

Smith is a urologist at Johns Hopkins University, the director of urologic oncology at Sibley Memorial Hospital, and co-director for women's bladder cancer program at Johns Hopkins University and Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute.

Partial nephrectomy, which removes only part of the kidney, can help preserve kidney function and may help patients avoid dialysis. Some studies suggest that better kidney function may support cardiovascular health, though it is not yet clear how much this impacts outcomes. Smith emphasized that whenever possible, the goal is to preserve kidney function and minimize pain and scarring.

CURE: With advancements in minimally invasive and robotic surgery for kidney cancer such as partial and nephrectomy, what are potential benefits for patients regarding recovery time and long-term kidney function?

: Robotic and minimally invasive kidney surgery has been a game changer because it gives patients less blood loss, quicker recovery, less pain when recovering from surgery and less time spent in the hospital. Robotic approach, on the top of the minimally invasive approach, has allowed us to treat more complex tumors — just because of robotic instruments have like additional degree of motion compared to laparoscopic instruments.

As far as the long-term function, the partial nephrectomy preserves a lot of the kidney and that allows patients to have better kidney function going forward [and] avoid dialysis. There have been some studies suggesting that having better kidney function, rather, helps patients with the cardiovascular health, although, you know, the jury's a little bit out whether it's a surgical or kind of medical disease and if it really matters. But you know, all in all, we try to preserve the kidney function when possible and do minimally invasive surgery just to optimize the recovery and minimize the pain and scarring.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

Videos

Bladder preservation for bladder cancer requires balancing clinical factors and patient health with a personalized treatment plan.

A Personalized Approach to Bladder Preservation in Urologic Cancer

Urologic cancer care is shifting towards a less invasive, personalized approache, according to Dr. Armine Smith. Smith shares how bladder preservation requires a careful, individualized approach — one that balances clinical criteria with patient-centered considerations. She touches on the complexity of treatment decisions and the importance of selecting the right candidates for this intensive path.

Smith is a Urologist at Johns Hopkins University, the director of urologic oncology at Sibley Memorial Hospital, and co-director for women's bladder cancer program at Johns Hopkins University and Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute.

CURE: For patients newly diagnosed with bladder cancer, especially those considering bladder preservation, what are the key factors you weigh when determining if this approach is suitable, and how do you personalize that treatment plan?

So, when considering bladder preservation, we'll look at the standard information that comes with it, like bladder tumor grade stage. There are some other additional factors that may make the patient more suitable or not for bladder preservation. [These factors include] if there are multifocal tumors, if there are any advanced stage that's present, if the tumor is unresectable, as well as [the] urological subtypes of these bladder cancers.

Those are all the important pieces of information we consider. To preserve the bladder, we need to have a functioning bladder that will give the patient good quality of life afterwards. Some other factors to consider. This is a pretty complex process. Some of the factors are just patients’ overall morbidities, you know, their health, their ability to adhere to these very stringent surveillance protocols [and] the ability to undergo these treatments.

So currently, the bladder preservation includes treatments with chemotherapy, or immunotherapy with radiation to the bladder, and resections of the bladder and the ability to continue the monitoring. All of this information comes together when we find the right personalized approach to every patient for this.

Dr. Armine Smith

Robotic Kidney Cancer Surgery May Aid Recovery, Spare Kidney Function

A Personalized Approach to Bladder Preservation in Urologic Cancers

Latest News