BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to investigate the growth rate and clinical outcome of patients with a small renal mass (SRM) after delayed surgery versus immediate surgery. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical records of 328 patients with SRM ≦ 4cm at diagnosis, who underwent delayed or immediate surgical intervention from January 2000 to December 2011. Radiographic evaluation using CT scan and MRI were performed at least every 6 months and the tumor size was determined at least twice in the delayed surgery group. RESULTS: A total of 292 RCC patients with pT1aN0M0 were identified; among them, 32 patients had been managed with delayed surgery intervention. No statistically significant difference was observed in overall survival rate (OSR) and cancer recurrence-free rate (CRFR). But cancer-specific survival rate (CSSR) was significantly lower in the delayed surgery group (p=0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: The overall survival rate of delayed surgery was not inferior compared with that after immediate surgery. Delayed surgery intervention for SRMs is a treatment option in the current study.