Robot-assisted ipsilateral partial nephrectomy with distal ureterectomy for synchronous renal and ureteric tumors-a case report.

BACKGROUND: Ipsilateral synchronous renal and ureteric tumor is uncommon. Nephron sparing surgery is the standard for small renal masses. Ureteric tumors can be selectively managed with nephron sparing surgery, especially in renal dysfunction. This case report details the management of double malignancy by nephron sparing surgery with robot-assisted approach. CASE REPORT: A 63-year-old gentleman with diabetes presented with history of intermittent gross hematuria for 2 weeks. He was clinically normal. On evaluation, he had grade 4 renal dysfunction (Se. creatinine 4.5 mg%) with mild proteinuria. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed right renal upper polar Bosniak III lesion and right hydroureteronephrosis due to 2 cm ureteric tumor near the vessel crossing. Renogram showed overall GFR of 22 ml/min with 31% (6 ml/min) contribution from the right side. He underwent robot-assisted right partial nephrectomy with distal ureterectomy and Boari flap ureteric reimplantation. Histopathology revealed margins free T2 clear cell carcinoma (kidney) and high-grade T3 transitional cell carcinoma (ureter). His nadir creatinine at 1 year follow-up was 3.3 mg% and no recurrence on MRI, cystoscopy, and ureteroscopy at 1 year. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive nephron sparing surgery is feasible and reasonable option with satisfactory oncological control even in ipsilateral synchronous renal and ureteric tumors in selected patients with renal dysfunction.

Immunotherapy maintenance therapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC): a comprehensive review.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the systemic treatment of solid tumors, including advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC), providing durable responses with a favorable safety profile. Multiple immune checkpoint inhibitor agents have been approved in monotherapy in second-line setting, and for a selected group of chemo-naïve cisplatin-ineligible patients with high PD-L1 expression. Despite the incorporation of immunotherapy to the systemic treatment landscape of aUC, platinum-based chemotherapy remains the standard of care in frontline setting for vast majority of patients. Urothelial carcinoma is a chemosensitive disease with response rates of up to 50% to frontline chemotherapy. However, the response to chemotherapy is short lasting with vast majority of patients experiencing disease progression and death within months. In this context, maintenance therapy constitutes an attractive therapeutic strategy to maximize the time to treatment failure. Different cytotoxic and targeted agents have been investigated as maintenance therapy for aUC but have not shown an impact on survival. Avelumab has become the first and only drug to improve overall survival as maintenance therapy after frontline platinum-based therapy in aUC patients and the first drug to be approved in this setting. This article will review the rational for maintenance therapy, the different drugs investigated as maintenance therapy for aUC, and the impact of avelumab maintenance therapy as a new standard of care in the management of aUC.

Acute inflammatory presentation of orbital metastasis from urothelial carcinoma: a case report.

Orbital metastasis of urothelial carcinoma is very rare; only 22 cases have been documented. In this case report, we describe a patient 1 month status post transurethral resection of urothelial carcinoma who presented with a clinical picture suggestive of orbital cellulitis. However, neither broad-spectrum antibiotics nor a subsequent trial of methylprednisolone was effective at relieving the patient's symptoms. CT imaging of the head, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and lower extremity showed no signs of metastatic disease. Six days after presentation, punch biopsy of the mass was performed and confirmed urothelial carcinoma metastatic to the orbit. The patient died 3 months later due to multiple sites of distant metastasis. This case report suggests that a high index of suspicion for orbital metastasis is important for patients with a history of urothelial carcinoma with new and acute onset of ocular symptoms and emphasizes the need for urgent systemic evaluation and treatment.

Metastatic retro-crural lymph nodes from transitional cell carcinoma of bladder successfully treated with single session cryoablation.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a relatively common tumor, with a male preponderance. High-grade muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) has a very high incidence of pelvic lymph node metastasis at presentation. Involvement of the retro-crural lymph nodes, although has been described in other pelvic tumors, is very uncommon for BC. Cryoablation in the retro-crural region is extremely challenging due to the proximity to the critical structures like inferior venacava and aorta and has not been extensively reported. We describe a 56-year old male patient with MIBC who underwent extensive treatments including radical cystoprostatectomy, chemoradiation and immunotherapy, ultimately with localized disease in the retro-crural region. Single session cryoablation of these lymph nodes was performed with a curative intent yielding a positive response that has persisted for more than 2 years.

Strongyloides stercoralis larvae in the urine of a patient with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: a case report.

Disseminated infection with Strongyloides stercoralis refers to the massive migration of infective larvae from the gastrointestinal tract to other organs that are not involved in the normal life cycle of the parasite. We describe the case of a Nigerian male with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in whom larvae of S. stercoralis was identified in the urine. This report involves a 60-year old male Nigerian presenting to the Urology clinic of the Jos University teaching hospital, Nigeria with disseminated S. stercoralis. The index patient presented with a 5 month history of total haematuria, urinary frequency, urgency, nocturia, straining to pass urine, feeling of incomplete voiding and terminal dribbling. He also had episodes of suprapubic pain. Physical examination revealed a cachexic patient who had mild suprapubic tenderness. Urinary examination showed numerous red blood cells and rhabditiform larvae of S. stercoralis. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a heterogeneous mass in the urinary bladder measuring 4.0 × 3.3 cm. Abdominal computed tomography also showed an irregular mass measuring 4.2 × 3.8 cm with HU of 41 projecting into the bladder from the posterior wall towards the dome. Histology of the biopsy specimen revealed transitional cell carcinoma. The patient was treated with a single dose of oral ivermectin but died 1 week later. Physicians working in areas that are endemic for S. stercoralis should consider investigating immunocompromised patients for S. stercoralis infection given the poor prognosis of disseminated infection in this group of patients.

The Comparison of Oncologic Outcomes between Open and Laparoscopic Radical Nephroureterectomy for the Treatment of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Korean Multicenter Collaborative Study / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: We compared oncologic outcomes of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) who underwent open nephroureterectomy (ONU) or laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (LNU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive cases of ONU and LNU between 2000 and 2012 at five participating institutions were included in this retrospective analysis. Clinical characteristics and pathologic outcomes were compared between the two surgical approaches. The influence of the type of surgical approach on intravesical recurrence-free survival (IVRFS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences were assessed with the log-rank test. Predictors of IVRFS, PFS, CSS, and OS were also analyzed with a multivariable Cox regression model. RESULTS: A total of 1,521 patients with UTUC were eligible for the present study (ONU, 906; LNU, 615). The estimated 5-year IVRFS (57.8 vs. 51.0%, p=0.010), CSS (80.4 vs. 76.4%, p=0.032), and OS (75.8 vs. 71.4%, p=0.026) rates were significantly different between the two groups in favor of LNU. Moreover, in patients with locally advanced disease (pT3/pT4), the LNU group showed better 5-year IVRFS (62.9 vs. 54.1%, p=0.038), CSS (64.3 vs. 56.9%, p=0.022), and OS (60.4 vs. 53.1%, p=0.018) rates than the ONU group. Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that type of surgical approach was independently associated with IVRFS, but was not related to PFS, CSS, and OS. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that LNU provided better oncologic control of IVRFS, CSS, and OS compared with ONU for the management of patients with UTUC.

The Comparison of Oncologic Outcomes between Open and Laparoscopic Radical Nephroureterectomy for the Treatment of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Korean Multicenter Collaborative Study.

PURPOSE: We compared oncologic outcomes of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) who underwent open nephroureterectomy (ONU) or laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (LNU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive cases of ONU and LNU between 2000 and 2012 at five participating institutions were included in this retrospective analysis. Clinical characteristics and pathologic outcomes were compared between the two surgical approaches. The influence of the type of surgical approach on intravesical recurrence-free survival (IVRFS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences were assessed with the log-rank test. Predictors of IVRFS, PFS, CSS, and OS were also analyzed with a multivariable Cox regression model. RESULTS: A total of 1,521 patients with UTUC were eligible for the present study (ONU, 906; LNU, 615). The estimated 5-year IVRFS (57.8 vs. 51.0%, p=0.010), CSS (80.4 vs. 76.4%, p=0.032), and OS (75.8 vs. 71.4%, p=0.026) rates were significantly different between the two groups in favor of LNU. Moreover, in patients with locally advanced disease (pT3/pT4), the LNU group showed better 5-year IVRFS (62.9 vs. 54.1%, p=0.038), CSS (64.3 vs. 56.9%, p=0.022), and OS (60.4 vs. 53.1%, p=0.018) rates than the ONU group. Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that type of surgical approach was independently associated with IVRFS, but was not related to PFS, CSS, and OS. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that LNU provided better oncologic control of IVRFS, CSS, and OS compared with ONU for the management of patients with UTUC.

Endoscopic Management of Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma has become more popular over the last few decades as there has been an impetus for renal preservation in these patients. While radical nephroureterectomy has been the gold standard in treatment of this disease, ureteroscopic and percutaneous management has become a viable option for select patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The literature on endoscopic management of upper urinary tract tumors was explored. Different management methods are discussed, both from published literature and experience of the authors of this chapter. RESULTS: We review the indications, details of the procedure, and troubleshooting methods in the endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Imperative indications as well as controversial indications are discussed. The role and efficacy of adjuvant intrarenal topical agents are examined as well as the protocol for administering these agents. Follow-up protocols are also reviewed. DISCUSSION: In select patients, endoscopic management with ureteroscopy and/or percutaneous resection of upper tract urothelial tumors is appropriate and can preserve renal function while obtaining comparable oncologic control compared with radical surgery.

Long-Term Outcomes of Laparoscopic Nephroureterectomy with Transurethral Circumferential Excision of the Ureteral Orifice for Urothelial Carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: When performing open or laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (LNU), the optimal way to excise the distal ureter remains controversial. There are concerns that primary endoscopic detachment of the intramural ureter is associated with adverse outcomes. Existing studies have limited number of patients and inadequate oncologic follow-up. We provide our institutions experience of this technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected prospectively on 59 patients (37 men) who underwent LNU for a 10-year period at a single center using a standardized technique: initial endoscopic circumferential release of the distal ureter and bladder cuff followed by retroperitoneal en bloc LNU. RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 67 years and Charlson score of 2. One case was converted to open surgery. Mean operative time was 194 minutes with estimated blood loss of 125 mL. Three patients (5%) required a blood transfusion. Mean in-patient stay was 3 days. Forty-six patients had urothelial carcinoma. Seventy-one percent of patients had high-grade disease (n = 33) and 21% had distal ureteral disease (n = 10). One patient required open excision of recurrence at the site of the excised ureteral orifice and remains disease free 5 years later. Five-year cancer-specific survival was 100% for patients with stages pTa (n = 7) and pT1 (n = 14), 93% for stage pT2 (n = 7) disease, and 49% for patients with stage pT3 (n = 18) disease. CONCLUSIONS: Transurethral resection of the ureteral orifice during LNU achieves acceptable long-term oncologic outcomes while minimizing perioperative morbidity and in-patient stay. This represents the largest single-center study of this technique to date.

Invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma, plasmacytoid variant: case report / Carcinoma urotelial invasor de bexiga, variante plasmocitoide: relato de caso

ABSTRACT Invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma, plasmacytoid variant is a rare entity with scarce cases reported in the literature. We report a case of a 79 years old male, subjected to transurethral resection of bladder tumor, which histological examination revealed a pT1 high-grade urothelial carcinoma. Subsequently, he underwent radical cystoprostatectomy, which showed urothelial carcinoma with lack of cohesion, plasmacytoid variant, positive for citokeratin 7 (CK7), citokeratin 20 (CK20) and trans-acting T-cell-specific transcription factor (GATA-3), and negative for E-cadherin and CD138. It is important to recognize the plasmacytoid variant of the invasive urothelial carcinoma, since it avoids a potential misdiagnosis of metastatic cancer.

RESUMO Carcinoma urotelial invasor da bexiga, variante plasmocitoide, é uma entidade rara, com poucos casos descritos na literatura. Relatamos o caso de um homem, 79 anos, submetido à resseção transvesical de tumor da bexiga, cuja histologia revelou carcinoma urotelial de alto grau pT1. Posteriormente, foi submetido à cistoprostatectomia radical, que mostrou carcinoma urotelial invasor, descoeso, de tipo plasmacitoide, positivo para citoqueratina 7 (CK7), citoqueratina 20 (CK20) e fator de transcrição de ação"trans" específico de células T (GATA-3) e negativo para E-caderina e CD138. É importante reconhecer a variante plasmocitoide do carcinoma urotelial invasor, uma vez que se evita potencial diagnóstico errado de doença metastática.

Systemic therapy in muscle-invasive and metastatic bladder cancer: current trends and future promises.

Bladder urothelial cancers remain an important urologic cancer with limited treatment options in the locally advanced and metastatic setting. While neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced muscle-invasive cancers has shown overall survival benefit, clinical uptake in practice have lagged behind. Controversies surrounding adjuvant chemotherapy use are also ongoing. Systemic therapies for metastatic bladder cancer have largely used platinum-based therapies without effective standard second-line therapy options for those who fail, although vinflunine is approved in Europe as a second-line therapy based on a Phase III trial, and most recently, atezolizumab, a checkpoint inhibitor, was approved by the US FDA. Given increasing recognition of mutational signatures expressed in urothelial carcinomas, several promising agents with use of VEGF-targeted therapies, HER2-directed agents and immunotherapies with PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies in various settings are discussed herein.

From Clinical Trials to the Front Line: Vinflunine for Treatment of Urothelial Cell Carcinoma at the National Cancer Institute of Naples.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of Vinflunine, after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with metastatic or recurrent Transitional Cell Cancer of the Urothelial Tract, TCCU, has been demonstrated in an international, randomized, phase III trial comparing Vinflunine plus Best Supportive Care, BSC, with BSC alone. On the basis of that study vinflunine has been approved by the European Medicine Association, EMA, for treatment of TCCU patients after failure of a platinum treatment. However, since data in clinical trials often differ from routine clinical practice due to unselected population and less strict monitoring, "real life" experiences are very helpful to verify the efficacy of a new therapy. METHODS: This was a spontaneous, observational, retrospective study involving 43 patients with metastatic TCCU treated with vinflunine at our cancer center, data about demographics, disease characteristics, and previous treatments were collected and outcome and toxicities of vinflunine were analyzed. RESULTS: 41 of 43 patients were eligible for RR analysis, the Overall RR was 12%, the Disease Control Rate was 29%; when including only patients treated in II line the DCR rose to 33%; the median PFS and the median OS were 2.2 and 6.9 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings were consistent with the outcome data emerged in the phase III randomized trial and in the other observational studies conducted all around Europe in the last 2-3 years. This experience supports the use of vinflunine in patients with advanced TTCU as effective and manageable antineoplastic drug.

Simultaneous en-bloc robot-assisted radical cystectomy and nephro-ureterectomy: technique description, outcomes, and literature summary.

The objectives of this study are to describe the surgical technique for simultaneous en-bloc robot-assisted radical cystectomy and nephro-ureterectomy, to report its surgical bench marks, and finally, to summarize the current evidence on the procedure. After written informed consent, we prospectively enrolled consecutive patients undergoing simultaneous en-bloc robot-assisted radical cystectomy and nephro-ureterectomy in a prospective institutional database. We performed all procedures with robotic assistance from the DaVinci Si-HD®, a four-arm robotic system. Endpoints included surgery duration, estimated intra-operative blood loss, resection margins, intra-, and post-operative complications. Furthermore, we describe oncological outcome at follow-up. We conducted six (54.4 %) right-sided and five (45.5 %) left-sided nephro-ureterectomies. Urinary diversion consisted in nine (81.2 %) ureterocutaneostomies and in two (18.8 %) ileum conduits. The median surgery duration was 287 min [interquartile range (Q1-Q3) 253-328], thereof 196-min console time (Q1-Q3 158-230). The median-estimated blood loss was 235 mL (Q1-Q3 200-262). We did not register any intra-operative complications or conversions to open surgery. Post-operatively, each one patient suffered a Clavien-Dindo grade 1 (paralytic ileus), grade 2 (blood transfusion), and grade 3 complication (port hernia). After a median follow-up of 7 months (Q1-Q3 4-25), we registered one recurrence, a metachronous transitional cell cancer of the contralateral kidney 24 months after the initial procedure. En-bloc robot-assisted radical cystectomy and nephro-ureterectomy was associated with limited procedure duration, minor blood loss and satisfying intra- and post-operative outcomes.

Lung metastasis of transitional cell cancer of the urothelium, with fungus ball-like shadows closely resembling aspergilloma: A case report and review of the literature.

The present study reports the case of a 67-year-old female patient who was initially diagnosed with pulmonary aspergilloma. This diagnosis was based on a chest computed tomography (CT) scan showing a cavitary lesion of 3.5 cm in diameter, with fungus ball-like shadows inside, and an air crescent sign in the right upper lung. At 63 years old, the patient was treated for transitional cell cancer of the urothelium (non-invasive, pT1N0M0) by total cystectomy, ileal conduit diversion and urostomy. For 4 years post-operatively, the patient was healthy and had no clinical symptoms, and the air crescent sign was not identified by chest CT until the patient had reached 67 years of age. However, a final diagnosis of lung metastasis of transitional cell cancer of the urothelium was histopathologically identified subsequent to video-assisted thoracic surgery. Although it is rare that transitional cell cancer moves to the lung and makes a cavitary lesion, a differential diagnosis of cancer is necessary, even when examining infected patients with air crescent signs that are characteristic of aspergilloma. The physician must be mindful of metastatic pulmonary tumors that closely resemble aspergillomas, not only in infectious diseases, but also in oncological practice. Primary surgical removal should be considered.

Inverted papilloma of the bladder: a review and an analysis of the recent literature of 365 patients.

OBJECTIVES: Until the 1970s, inverted urothelial papilloma (IUP) of the bladder was generally regarded as a benign neoplasm. However, in the 1980s, several reported cases suggested the malignant potential of these papillomas, including cases with features indicative of malignancy, recurrent cases, and cases of IUP synchronous or metachronous with transitional cell carcinoma. The aim of this systematic review and analysis of the literature since 1990 to date is to contribute to unresolved issues regarding the biological behavior and prognosis of these neoplasms to establish some key points in the clinical and surgical management of IUP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Database searches yielded 109 references. Exclusion of irrelevant references left 10 references describing studies that fulfilled the predefined inclusion criteria. RESULTS: One problem regarding these neoplasms is the difficulty of obtaining a correct histopathologic diagnosis. The main differential diagnosis is endophytic urothelial neoplasia, including papillary urothelial neoplasia of low malignant potential or urothelial carcinoma of low or high grade, while other considerably rare differential diagnoses include nephrogenic adenoma, paraganglioma, carcinoid tumor, cystitis cystica, cystitis glandularis, and Brunn's cell nests. The size of the lesions ranged from 1 to 50 mm (mean 12.8 mm). Most cases occurred in the fifth and sixth decade of life. The mean age of affected patients was 59.3 years (range 20-88 years). Analysis of the literature revealed a strong male predominance with a male/female ratio of 5.8:1. The most commonly reported sites of IUP were the bladder neck region and trigone. Of 285 cases included in 8 studies, 12 cases (4.2%) were multiple. Out of the total of 348 patients, 6 patients (1.72%) had a previous history of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder, 5 patients (1.43%) had synchronous transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder, and 4 patients (1.15%) had subsequent transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract. The time before recurrence was <45 months (range 5-45 months, mean 27.7 months) after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Inverted papilloma could be considered a risk factor for transitional cell carcinoma, and it is clinically prudent to exclude transitional cell cancer when it is diagnosed. Follow-up is needed if the histologic diagnosis is definitive or doubtful. We recommend 4-monthly flexible cystoscopy for the first year and then every 6 months for the subsequent 3 years. Routine surveillance of the upper urinary tract in cases of inverted papilloma of the lower part of the urinary tract is not deemed necessary.

Monitoring of the upper urinary tract in patients with bladder cancer.

Upper urinary tract (UUT) transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is relatively rare tumor. Approximately 0.7-4% of patients with primary bladder cancer develops UUT-TCC. The symptoms related to an UUT-TCC often occur with an advanced stage which leads one to emphasize a surveillance strategy to monitor the UUT to allow for an earlier diagnosis. Although the risk of UUT-TCC after bladder cancer is well established, there is a paucity of recommendations suggesting the optimal method and frequency of monitoring the UUT and there is no consensus among them. This article reviews the recommendations on monitoring the UUT in patients with bladder cancer.