Abstract

In the UK, kidney cancer is the 7th most common cancer in adults. Approximately 13,300 new cases of kidney cancer were diagnosed in 2020. The incidence rate has increased by around 75% since the early 1990s. The primary focus of surgery in localized kidney cancer is to achieve a complete cure by removing the tumour, while also considering the preservation of renal function. Nephron sparing surgery (NSS) or partial nephrectomy (PN) is the current gold standard surgical treatment for small renal masses. Robotic surgery has provided a minimally invasive platform for surgeons to perform increasingly complex and larger tumours with excellent oncological and renal functional outcomes. Advances in surgical technology have definitely enhanced patient outcomes, but there is increasing interest in leveraging emerging technologies like Digital Twins (DT) to further improve precision, safety, and efficacy in surgical procedures. DT has attracted increasing attention and is defined as a technology that creates a digital replica of a physical entity using real-time data and models. In surgery, a digital twin can simulate a patient’s anatomy and physiology, offering a personalized and interactive model to guide surgeons during operations