New treatment approaches called cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation are introduced as alternatives to surgery. For both procedures, the doctor inserts a probe through a patient's skin into the renal tumor in order to kill the tumor through freezing (cryoablation) or use of an electric current (radiofrequency ablation). The long-term outcomes of these procedures are still being studied.

Laparoscopic surgery for renal cancer – in which a surgeon makes several small incisions and uses telescoping equipment to remove the full kidney – emerges as an effective alternative to traditional open surgery through one larger incision. This new approach rapidly becomes the surgical standard, allowing patients to recover faster and experience less pain. Within the next few years, surgeons successfully apply laparoscopic techniques to partial nephrectomies, in which tumors are removed but healthy kidney tissue is left intact.

Studies indicate that some patients with early-stage malignant tumors in one or both kidneys are candidates for partial nephrectomy – surgery in which the tumor and only part of the kidney is removed, as opposed to removing the whole kidney. This refined approach revolutionizes treatment of such tumors, preserving patients' kidney function and helping many to avoid the difficult experience of long-term dialysis.