Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen or an Organized Brigade? A Success Story of Collaboration Between Pediatric Urology and Surgery to Treat Children With Renal Tumors

The surgical management of renal tumors in children has predominantly been by pediatric surgeons, while in adults these masses are surgically cared for exclusively by urologists [1]. Common thoughts as to why this discrepancy exists include close relationships between pediatric oncologists and surgeons who treat a host of other malignancies, most children with renal tumors needing central venous access, and historical precedent. Yet, there are important training differences between specialties, with urologists having a larger base of experience in residency with both partial and radical nephrectomies as opposed to pediatric surgeons who gain almost all of their experience with radical nephrectomies for cancer during fellowship.