Hospital Clínic de Barcelona has treated a primary kidney tumour using single-session stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for the first time, as reported by Diaricatalunya. The procedure was carried out at the hospital’s Granollers facility on a patient with a 2.5cm central kidney tumour and chronic renal failure, for whom surgery posed a high risk of requiring dialysis.
The SBRT technique delivers high-dose radiation with extreme precision, allowing curative treatment without surgery. Administered in one to five sessions, it has shown excellent oncological outcomes, good tolerance and preserved kidney function in recent studies. The Clínic’s Radiological Oncology Service, part of the Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Centre, used a single 26 Gy dose to treat the tumour, avoiding total nephrectomy.
Alternative for high-risk patients
SBRT offers a less invasive option than thermal ablation, which is only effective for small, peripheral tumours. It follows positive results from the international FASTRACK II trial, published in May 2026, which showed 100% local disease control up to seven years and nearly 80% metastasis-free survival.
This technique requires no hospital admission or anaesthesia, and our experience ensures precision, says Dr Meritxell Mollà, head of Radiological Oncology, who told Diaricatalunya that the service’s decade-long expertise supports safe delivery.
Local access through C-17 network
The Granollers site, part of the C-17 healthcare network, enables patients from the region to receive advanced treatment without travelling to central Barcelona. All cases are reviewed by a multidisciplinary uro-oncology committee to determine the best therapeutic approach.
Sources: Diaricatalunya.
