Objective To analyze the characteristics of total glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and single GFR measured by Gate's method for radionuclide renal dynamic imaging measured by Gate's method for radionuclide renal dynamic imaging in patients with single unilateral renal cancer and to provide relevant information for clinical therapy.

Methods A total of 50 patients (including 32 males and 18 females, age 43–65(54.2±9.7) years) with single unilateral renal cell cancer (renal cancer group) were collected from the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from January 2018 to December 2019, and 60 healthy adults (36 males and 24 females, age 47–68(56.1±8.6) years) with high incidence age of renal cancer in China were selected as the control group to conduct a retrospective study. ⁹⁹Tc^m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) renal dynamic imaging was performed in the renal cancer and control groups at the same time. The clinical data, total GFR, and split GFR of both groups were compared. Independent sample t-test was used to compare the total GFR and split GFR in both groups. To observe the incidence of asymmetric renal function and renal compensation in patients with renal cancer, the difference of total GFR calculated using the chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration equation and Gate's method in the renal cancer group was compared, and correlation analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation analysis.

Results No significant difference was observed in gender ratio, age, smoking status, body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose, atherosclerosis index, hemoglobin, serum creatinine, urea, and uric acid in both groups (χ²=0.185, 0.021, t=0.656–1.980, all P>0.05). No significant difference was observed in the total GFR in both groups((103.9±15.9) mL/min vs. (103.2±10.6) mL/min, t=0.116, P=0.908). Compared with the single kidney GFR of the control group ((51.2±5.9) mL/min), GFR of tumor-lateral renal ((47.4±13.0) mL/min) was significantly decreased, GFR of contra-lateral normal renal (56.1±10.9) mL/min was significantly increased, and the differences were statistically significant (t=−2.248, 2.837; both P<0.05). The absolute value of the percentage difference between GFR in split kidney and total kidney was greater than 10% in 21 of the 50 patients. In 16 patients, the GFR of contralateral normal renal was higher than the superior limit of the reference range of split kidney GFR in healthy people of the same age. The difference between the two methods (chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration equation and Gate's method) in the total GFR of renal cancer group was statistically significant ((120.1±26.1) mL/(min·1.73 m²) vs. (108.7±13.4) mL/(min·1.73 m²) , t=3.765, P<0.05) and they were correlated (r=0.54, P<0.05).

Conclusion ⁹⁹Tc^m-DTPA renal dynamic imaging preoperatively can obtain accurate information about the GFR of the kidney, which has significant value for the decision-making of therapeutic regimen.