San Diego, CA USA (UroToday.com) Indeterminate renal masses are inherently difficult to treat, with this problem confounded by the noticeable heterogeneity between radiology reports for this type of lesion. As a result, Dr. Hu and colleagues attempted to determine the standard variables considered for an indeterminate renal mass based on a national survey of practicing radiologists and urologists.
For this study, a 35-question survey was drafted and electronically sent to consenting urologists and radiologists for completion. The SAR Disease-Focused Panel on renal cell carcinoma produced the survey for this study, which considered the possible elements of a CT/MRI report. The response rate for this study was 73% (113/154), although not all respondents answered every question.
The factors considered essential by both radiologists and urologists were size, mass type, presence of fat, presence of enhancement, size comparison to prior imaging, and radiologic staging. No consensus was found for any other elements. Compared to radiologists, urologists were significantly more likely to want the nephrometry score, yet significantly less likely to desire management recommendations on the report. In conclusion, there are specific variables essential to both urologists and radiologists when evaluating indeterminate renal masses, despite minor disagreements between the specialties.
Presented By: Eric Hu, MD
Written By: by Austin Drysch; Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine at the 2016 AUA Annual Meeting - May 6 - 10, 2016 – San Diego, California, USA