Predicting factors for recurrence in low-grade Ta primary bladder tumours.

OBJECTIVES: Ta bladder tumors constitute 53% of primary bladder neoplasms, 70% of them being low-grade (G1). These tumors present a 15- 38% chance of recurrence during the first year. The aim of this paper is to identify the predicting factors of the first recurrence in a series of TaG1 primary bladder tumors. METHODS: We have retrospectively analyzed patients who were diagnosed with TaG1 primary bladder tumor by transurethral resection between 2004 and 2012. We established their tumor grade and pathological stage according to the WHO's classification guides for 1973 and 2004 as well as 2009's TNM. Those patients who were diagnosed before 2009 did not receive any adjuvant treatment. Those who were diagnosed later on received 40 mg of endovesical Mitomycin C during their immediate post operative period as their only treatment. We define recurrence as the presence of tumor after the first cystoscopy and relapse-free survival (RFS) as the period of time (in months) until the first recurrence appeared. Follow up constitutes the period of time (in months) until the last check-up or first recurrence. We also analyzed different variables: age, gender, smoking habits, muscular representation in the sample, size of the tumor (> or < 1 cm), multiple or single tumors and adjuvant treatment. The survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method, using the long-rank test to evaluate the differences between groups. RESULTS: 68 patients were included in the study (73.5% men, 75% smokers). The average age was 61.9 years (the median being 58.5). Average follow up was 33.2 months (median 28.4). 35.3% of patients experienced recurrence. Average RFS was 19.2 ± 12.7 months (median 13.5). The majority of tumors were of a single nature (77.9%), with a size of less than 1 cm (55.9%) and with muscle representation (52.9%). 57.4% of patients did not receive adjuvant treatment. Only the absence of adjuvant treatment was associated with recurrence in uni and multivariate analysis (p<0,001), with a relative risk of 17,5 IC95% (7,6-30,2). CONCLUSION: The absence of adjuvant therapy with Mitomycin C is the only factor that, in a statistically significant way, increases the risk of recurrence, regardless of demographic factors and the characteristics of the tumor.

Predictors of success and hospitalization in semi-rigid ureteroscopy for lithiasis as an outpatient procedure.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the outcomes, predictors of success and predictors of need for hospital admission in our series of patients who underwent ureteroscopy (URS) as a major outpatient surgery (MOS) procedure. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of 402 patients who had undergone semi-rigid URS for ureteral calculi as a MOS procedure in our center between 2004 and 2012. Patients with previous DJ catheter were excluded. We classified the calculi according to their location (lumbar, pelvic, iliac), size (< or> 1cm) and number (single or multiple). Follow-up was done by plain X-ray of the abdomen and ultrasound one month after surgery. The procedure was considered successful when patients were free from the treated calculi or had ureteral fragments < 3 mm one month after surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify the factors involved in success and hospitalization not being required. RESULTS: A total of 269 patients were included. The majority of the stones were single (92.2%), <1 cm in size (76.6%), pelvic (62.1%), and left-sided (57.2%). 89.6% of the procedures were performed as MOS and 82.2% were considered to be successful. In the multivariate analysis, left-sided (p<0.001) and pelvic location of the calculi (p=0,01) were found to be independent predictors for the success of the procedure In terms of hospital admission, the only independent predictor was the presence of intraoperative complications ( p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Left-sided and pelvic locations were the independent predictors for the success of the URS. A lack of intraoperative complications was the independent predictor for not requiring hospitalisation.