This study aims to find out which surgical position is safer and works better for patients candidate to robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) - a minimally invasive procedure to remove a small kidney tumor while preserving healthy kidney tissue.
During this operation, the patient can be placed in two different positions:
* the standard flank position, where the patient lies on their side * a newer supine position, where the patient lies on their back using a technique called Supine Anterior Retroperitoneal Approach (SARA).
Both approaches are performed using the Da Vinci® Single Port (SP) robotic system, a state-of-the-art surgical robot that allows the operation to be done through a single small incision.
The traditional flank position has been used for many years, but it can be uncomfortable for patients and may increase the risk of certain anesthetic or nerve-related complications, especially in people with higher body weight. The new supine SARA technique could make surgery faster, safer, and less painful, but it has not yet been tested in a randomized study.
This is the first clinical trial designed to directly compare these two approaches in patients with small and localized kidney cancers (tumors ≤7 cm, stage cT1).
The study will include 124 patients treated at ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Milan, Italy - a leading center in robotic urologic surgery.
Age ≥ 18 years;
Presence of a single, unilateral, primary renal mass ≤ 7 cm in diameter (clinical stage cT1) documented CT scan
No evidence of systemic disease or lymph node involvement;
Candidate for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy using the Da Vinci SP platform;
None