Long-term Outcome After Percutaneous Treatment of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Renal Pelvis

Abstract

Purpose The application of conservative surgery has been established in the treatment of transitional cell tumors of the renal pelvis. We reviewed retrospectively the long-term outcome after percutaneous treatment of select patients referred to a tertiary center with transitional cell tumors of the renal pelvis. Materials and Methods We studied 28 patients referred with a presumptive diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis based on filling defects noted on excretory urograms. At percutaneous endoscopy tumor was resected in 26 patients, while no tumor was found in 2. All 19 men and 7 women smoked, and mean age at presentation was 65 years. Of the patients 18 presented with hematuria and 6 had bilateral upper tract tumors. After percutaneous resection, the access tract was irradiated either with iridium wire in 12 patients or a commercial high dose rate radiation delivery system in 12. Thiotepa was instilled into the nephrostomy tube without brachytherapy in 1 patient and 1 received no adjuvant treatment at all. All patients were followed by excretory urography and urine cytology. Cystoscopy and retrograde pyelography were performed when technically possible. Results After percutaneous tumor resection 6 patients (23 percent) had local recurrences in the treated renal pelvis, including 3 at 44, 55 and 60 months, respectively. Further conservative treatment was initially possible in 4 of these patients but ultimately only 2 (both of whom had late recurrences) retained the treated kidney. Of the 11 patients with recurrence elsewhere in the urinary tract the bladder was invariably involved (11), while synchronous or metachronous ureteral recurrence was less common (3). Nine patients remained free of any urothelial recurrence in the upper or lower tract. No patient had recurrent tumor in the nephrostomy tract. Of the patients 7 suffered from procedure-related complications, including 1 who had a persistent urinary fistula that failed to heal after brachytherapy and required nephroureterectomy. There have been 6 deaths during followup, of which 2 were disease related. The 3-year estimated local recurrence-free survival rate was 86 percent (95 percent confidence interval 63 to 95 percent), cause-specific survival rate 91 percent (95 percent confidence interval 67 to 98 percent) and overall survival rate 78 percent (95 percent confidence interval 55 to 90 percent). Differences in recurrence-free survival, comparing those with recurrence in the treated renal pelvis or elsewhere in the urothelium and those remaining disease-free, did not translate to a significant overall survival difference (p less than 0.5) between these groups. Conclusions Our results suggest that the combination of percutaneous local resection and tract irradiation offers an effective long-term alternative to radical extirpation in the management of select patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma confined to the renal pelvis. When the postoperative nephrostogram demonstrates a leaking renal pelvis, tract irradiation should not be given.