How are angiomyolipomas treated?

How are angiomyolipomas treated?

Your healthcare provider may recommend treatment to stop the tumor’s growth or to remove it. You might have:

• Ablation therapy: During ablation therapy, healthcare providers use energy (radiofrequency waves), heat or cold gas to destroy angiomyolipomas.
• Arterial embolization: Your provider makes a small incision in your inner thigh and uses a thin tube (catheter) to insert tiny beads. These beads block blood flow to the angiomyolipoma to shrink it, reduce its blood flow and minimize the risk of bleeding.
• Complete nephrectomy: During a nephrectomy, surgeons remove the entire kidney that contains the angiomyolipoma.
• Partial nephrectomy: Surgeons remove the part of your kidney that contains the angiomyolipoma but not the entire kidney. You might have open partial nephrectomy or robotic partial nephrectomy.