Dr. Zaid on the evolving treatment paradigm for renal cell carcinoma

In this video, Harras B. Zaid, MD, discusses treatment advances in the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which was discusses during a session at SUO titled, “Panel Discussion: Salvage Therapies for Recurrence Following Local Therapy (Ablation, Systemic Therapy, XRT, Surgery).” Zaid is an assistant professor in the department of surgery and perioperative care at the University of Texas, Austin and a urologic oncologist at Dell Seton Medical Center.

Video Transcript:

One of the things that the panel discussion kept coming home to is that this is multidisciplinary approach. Gone are the days when scalpel was king or queen in this space. The armamentarium of medications–systemic treatments, combination treatments–has exploded, and our understanding of the biology of disease is expanding. Also non-surgical techniques–SBRT, thermal ablation techniques–have become more sophisticated. Before as surgeons we go in and operate in this disease space, we really need to think long and hard, engage our colleagues in medical and radiation oncology, and most importantly, have an honest discussion with our patients and their families, weighing the risks and benefits of upfront surgery versus upfront treatment. Patients and families will have priorities; financial toxicities and treatment fatigue need to be considered. I think all of these are now part of our care package of these patients.

This transcription has been edited for clarity.