Kidneys with Small Renal Tumors: An Acceptable Source for Transplantation

Kidney Transplant (KT) is the best treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Unfortunately, it is not available to every patient with ESRD, and this is mainly due to the increasing number of patients in the waiting list and the shortage of kidneys suitable for transplantation. This fact is a major problem, even in countries with the highest rate of deceased donors in the world, like Spain. Thus, only 58 kidneys Per Million of Population (pmp) are generated, while approximately 100 pmp are needed [1]. Recently, several strategies have been carried out to increase the number of kidneys for transplant, such as Expanded Criteria Donors (ECD), living donors and non-heart-beating donors. Although the pool was increased, it is still insufficient and many patients never have an opportunity to be transplanted, remaining on dialysis and therefore having an important mortality risk, especially in elderly, which is approximately 6.3% per year for patients in the waiting list [2].