Population-based utilization and survival of competing treatments for small renal masses: The growing role of thermal ablation

Thermal ablation use for clinical stage T1a RCC has increased substantially, particularly among older patients with smaller tumors. Cancer-specific survival is similar between thermal ablation and surgery despite selection of higher-risk patients for thermal ablation, indicated by significantly worse overall survival. Findings support thermal ablation as an option for select patients, while highlighting disparities and the need for further study of long-term outcomes across thermal ablation modalities.