Kidney Cancer Surgery Melbourne
Robotic radical nephrectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure to remove the entire kidney, surrounding fat, and sometimes the adrenal gland for the treatment of kidney cancer. The surgery is performed using the da Vinci robotic surgical system through small keyhole incisions, resulting in less pain, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery compared to traditional open surgery.
Written and clinically reviewed by Dr Brendan Dias
Consultant Urologist & Robotic Surgeon · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Urology), IntFRCS (England), FUSANZ, FRACS (Urology)
Last clinically reviewed: 26 August 2026
Benefits
- Minimally invasive with 5-6 small incisions compared to large open incision
- Significantly less postoperative pain
- Shorter hospital stay (2-3 days vs 5-7 days for open surgery)
- Reduced blood loss with enhanced precision
- Better cosmetic outcome with minimal scarring
- Equivalent cancer outcomes to open surgery
The Procedure
The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia and typically takes 2-3 hours. Four to six small incisions are made in the abdomen. The robotic instruments and high-definition 3D camera are inserted. The kidney is carefully mobilised from surrounding structures. Major blood vessels (renal artery and vein) are controlled and divided. The ureter is divided. The kidney with surrounding fat is freed and placed in a retrieval bag, with one incision extended slightly to remove the specimen.
Who Is a Candidate?
Radical nephrectomy may be recommended for larger kidney tumours (typically greater than 7cm), tumour location that makes partial nephrectomy technically unsafe, multiple tumours in the same kidney, tumour involvement of major blood vessels, locally advanced disease, or inherited kidney cancer syndromes with high risk of recurrence.
Recovery
Most patients are discharged within 2-3 days. Light activities can resume from week 1. Avoid lifting >5kg for 4-6 weeks. Driving typically at 2-3 weeks. Return to work at 2-4 weeks for office work or 4-6 weeks for manual work. Your remaining kidney will compensate and most patients maintain normal or near-normal overall kidney function.
Risks & Considerations
Potential complications include temporary pain at incision sites, fatigue during recovery, mild reduction in overall kidney function, bleeding requiring transfusion, wound infection, conversion to open surgery, injury to surrounding organs, blood clots, and hernia at incision site.