Renal function after kidney surgery: “it’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future”

Partial nephrectomy (PN) is the treatment of choice for the majority of cT1 renal masses (1,2); however, selecting which procedure maximizes benefit and minimizes harm remains a significant clinical challenge. The controversy regarding the decision to perform radical nephrectomy (RN) or PN revolves around the concern for oncologically sound surgery versus optimizing postoperative renal function (2,3). Thus, a focus of research has tried to identify nomograms and protocols to determine the ideal patients for each surgical modality.