[Secondary malignancies in urinary diversions]. / Sekundärmalignome in Harnableitungen.

In contrast to ureterosigmoidostomy no reliable clinical data exist for tumor risk in different forms of urinary diversion using isolated intestinal segments.In 44 German urological departments, operation frequencies, indications, patient age, and operation dates of the different forms of urinary diversion, operated between 1970 and 2007, could be registered. The secondary tumors up to 2009 were registered as well and related to the numbers of the different forms of urinary diversions resulting in tumor prevalences.In 17,758 urinary diversions 32 secondary tumors occurred. The tumor risk in ureterosigmoidostomy (22-fold) and cystoplasty (13-fold) is significantly higher than in other continent forms of urinary diversion such as neobladders or pouches (p<0.0001). The difference between ureterosigmoidostomy and cystoplasty is not significant, nor is the difference between ileocecal pouches (0.14%) and ileal neobladders (0.05%) (p=0.46). The tumor risk in ileocecal (1.26%) and colonic neobladders (1.43%) is significantly higher (p=0.0001) than in ileal neobladders (0.5%). Of the 16 tumors that occurred following ureterosigmoidostomy, 16 (94%) developed directly at the ureterocolonic borderline in contrast to only 50% following urinary diversions via isolated intestinal segments.From postoperative year 5 regular endoscopic controls of ureterosigmoidostomies, cystoplasties, and orthotopic (ileo-)colonic neobladders are necessary. In ileocecal pouches, regular endoscopy is necessary at least in the presence of symptoms or should be performed routinely at greater intervals. Following neobladders or conduits, only urethroscopies for urethral recurrence are necessary.

[HPV-associated alterations of the vulva and vagina. Morphology and molecular pathology]. / HPV-assoziierte Veränderungen an Vulva und Vagina. Morphologie und Molekularpathologie.

Non-neoplastic HPV-induced alterations of the vulva and vagina are frequent. The traditional three-tier grading system of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) will be replaced by the definition of usual and simplex type of VIN. The usual type is characterized by a strong association to high-risk HPV infections, the occurrence at younger age and multifocality, mostly associated with non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. The differentiated (or simplex) type is rare and shows an association to older age and p53 alterations and is typically diagnosed co-incidentally with keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) is still graded into VAIN 1-3 where VAIN 1 and 2 are mostly associated with low-risk HPV infections and a high spontaneous regression rate whereas VAIN 3 represents a high-risk HPV-associated lesion with capable progression into (micro-)invasive carcinoma. The differential diagnosis between a non-neoplastic condylomatous lesion and VIN common type and VAIN may be aided by p16 immunohistochemistry. The HPV-associated invasive vulvo-vaginal cancers are verrucous carcinoma (low-risk HPV) and the high-risk HPV-induced (non-keratinizing) squamous cell carcinoma (NOS), the condylomatous (warty) carcinoma and the very rare vaginal squamo-transitional carcinoma.

[Urine-based diagnostics: an update on the Kiel Tumor Bank]. / Uringebundene Diagnostik: Ein Update der Kieler Tumorbank.

The heterogeneity of bladder tumors in their ability to invade and metastasize and their frequent recurrence pose a challenge for physicians who treat bladder cancer patients and for the researchers who work on bladder cancer diagnosis, recurrence, and treatment-related areas. For most new bladder cancer cases, investigation begins when patients are symptomatic (i.e., hematuria or irritative voiding). This mode of detection is often inadequate for nearly 15-30% of these new cases with high-grade bladder cancer, since the tumor is already in the invasive stage at the time of diagnosis. Bladder cancer patients are on a mandatory 3-month to 6-month surveillance schedule because bladder tumors frequently recur. The current mode of detecting bladder cancer involves cystoscopy, which is an invasive and relatively expensive procedure. Voided urine cytology, the standard noninvasive marker, is highly tumor specific and has good sensitivity for detecting high-grade tumors. However, its sensitivity for detecting low-grade tumors is low; its accuracy depends on the examiner's expertise; and it is not available everywhere. Marker systems are readily available for use in practice. Their utility remains under discussion.

[Extended sentinel lymph node dissection in radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer: a study in the Kiel risk population]. / Die extendierte Sentinel-Lymphadenektomie im Rahmen der radikalen Prostatektomie? : Untersuchungen im Kieler Risikokollektiv.

Extended lymph node dissection during radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer remains a disputed area. Sentinel lymph scans help identify the first lymph node stages in the lymph drainage of the prostate. This study was designed to investigate the detection rate of lymph node metastasis by extended lymph node dissection and sentinel lymph node scanning in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for localized prostate cancer. In this study at our department from 2005 to 2006, a total of 108 patients with localized prostate carcinoma were treated with radical prostatectomy including extended lymph node dissection. A sentinel lymph node scan with 160 MBq of technetium-99m-Nanocoll (Tc) was performed 1 day before surgery. A C-Trak gamma probe (AEA Technologies, Morgan Hills, CA, USA) was used intraoperatively to detect the sentinel lymph nodes. Scan findings were correlated with tumor stage, Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, and histological lymph node status. Scans revealed sentinel lymph nodes on the film 2 h after Tc administration in 98 of 108 patients (91%). Histologically proven lymph node metastases were detected in 15 of those 98 patients (15%) with a positive sentinel scan. Those 15 patients had a PSA level greater than 10 ng/ml or a Gleason score greater than 6 and at least a pT2 tumor. Specifically, six patients had a pT2 tumor, and nine patients had a pT3 tumor. Of patients placed in a risk group defined as PSA above 10 ng/ml or Gleason score greater than 6, 15 out of 50 patients (30%) had sentinel positive lymph nodes with metastasis. These data suggest that extended sentinel lymph node dissection helps identify lymph node metastasis in patients with PSA above 10 ng/ml or a Gleason score above 6 in 30% of cases. Further studies will show whether these numbers will hold true in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.

[Brachytherapy of the prostate cancer]. / Brachytherapie des Prostatakarzinoms.

Prostate cancer (PCA) is the most frequent onlocological disease in men. Every year there are ca. 202.000 new cases of prostate cancer in Europe. Curative treatment of this carcinoma via brachytherapy is becoming increasingly significant (20-30% of all curative approaches). Initial staging and thus allocation to risk groups prior to the commencement of therapy is esspecially important for successful brachytherapy treatment.Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy (i.e. SEED implantation) distinguishes itself both with respect to the procedure as well as the indication from high-dose-rate brachytherapy (afterloading procedure). Both treatment procedures are employed as monotherapy as well as in combination with external radiation.LDR monotherapy is reported to achieve biochemically relapse-free outcome of up to 90% in low-risk tumours during 10-year follow-up periods. Combined HDR tele- and brachytherapy is reported to achieve a biochemically relapse-free outcome of 80-90% with intermediate- and high-risk tumours in long-term follow-up.While randomized studies are as yet missing, it is still possible to derive the following application algorithms from monitoring studies and cohort studies: application of LDR monobrachytherapy must be restricted to low-risk tumorus. Combined HDR tele- and brachytherapy can be sucessfully applied in cases of intermediate- and high-risk tumours. The outcome depends significantly on the initial, pre-therapy PSA value and Gleason score. Posttherapeutically, the nadir value is crucial with respect to predicting the biochemically relapse-free outcome.

[Tumor markers for bladder cancer: up-to-date study by the Kiel Tumor Bank]. / Tumormarker beim Blasenkarzinom : Der aktuelle Stand am Beispiel der "Kieler Blasentumorbank".

INTRODUCTION: The number of noninvasive diagnostic tests for bladder cancer has increased tremendously over the last years with a large number of experimental and commercial tests. Comparative analyses of tests for diagnosis, follow-up, and recurrence detection of bladder cancer were performed retrospectively as well as prospectively, unicentrically, and multicentrically. METHODS: An analysis of multicentric studies with large patient numbers compared with our own Kiel Tumor Bank data is presented. The Kiel Tumor Bank data looked prospectively at 106 consecutive bladder tumor patients from the year 2006. Special focus was put on urine cytology as a reference test, as well as the commercial NMP 22 Bladder Chek. RESULTS: The analysis of the NMP 22 Bladder Chek showed an overall sensitivity of 69% for all tumor grades and stages, with a specificity of 76%. Comparison to multicentric data with an overall sensitivity of 75% for all tumor grades and stages, with a specificity of 73%, showed results similar to those in the literature. Urine cytology showed a comparable overall sensitivity of 73% for all tumor grades and stages, with a specificity of 80%. CONCLUSIONS: A large number of noninvasive tests for bladder cancer follow-up with reasonable sensitivity and specificity can currently be used. Because of limited numbers of prospective randomized multicentric studies, no single particular marker for bladder cancer screening can be recommended at this point in time.

[30 Years of sentinel lymph node diagnostic in penile carcinoma: development of a diagnostic procedure and current results]. / 30 Jahre Sentinel-Lymphknotendiagnostik beim Peniskarzinom : Evolution eines diagnostischen Verfahrens und eigene aktuelle Ergebnisse.

Cabanas, working 30 years ago, was the first to use the term "sentinel lymph node" in urology. His definition of the sentinel lymph node was based on typical anatomical patterns and therefore could not do justice to any individual variability in lymphatic drainage. This meant that application of the technique yielded high false-negative rates, and because of this it was largely abandoned. Dynamic visualization of lymphatic drainage by blue dye in melanoma patients resulted in a renaissance of the sentinel node concept in penile cancer in the mid-1990s. With constant improvements and standardization of the technique it proved possible to reduce the incidence of false-negative results from the initial 22% to 4.8%. This technique requires that specialists in urology, pathology, and nuclear medicine collaborate closely, and high standards are also essential in quality control.

[Mesonephroid carcinoma of the urinary bladder (clear cell carcinoma). Two case reports and review of the literature in a rare variation of the primary adenocarcinoma]. / Das mesonephroide Karzinom der Harnblase (Klarzellkarzinom). Zwei Kasuistiken und Literaturübersicht über eine seltene Variante des primären Adenokarzinoms.

Mesonephroid adenocarcinoma of the bladder may be a malignant form of nephrogenic adenoma or nephroid metaplasia. The lesion is extremely rare in the urinary bladder, and to our knowledge 19 cases have been reported in the literature. We report two cases of mesonephroid adenocarcinoma of the bladder which were treated by radical cystectomy.

[Functional outcome after laser vaporisation of the prostate with the KTP laser]. / Funktionelle Ergebnisse nach Laservaporisation der Prostata mit dem KTP-Laser.

BACKGROUND: Treatment for bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) impairs the quality of life. The potassium tintanyl phosphate (KTP) vaporisation of the prostate offers promising modalities in treatment of BOO. We prospectively determined the impact of KTP-lasertherapy on voiding function, quality of life and sexual function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: So far a total of n=123 patients complaining of symptomatic BPH were treated with an 80 watt Laser. N= 40 of them agreed to participate in the study and were evaluated prospectively. Preoperative pressure-flow-studies verified significant bladder outlet obstruction in all cases. Disease specific quality of life and sexual function were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and International Inventory of Erectile Function (IIEF). Three months after treatment follow-up video-urodynamics were carried out to determine changements in pressure flow and bladder function. RESULTS: All patients showed significant improvement after a hospital stay of 4,9 days. The maximum flow rate increased from 9,1 ml/sec preoperatively to 20,2 ml/sec and the amount of residual urine decreased from 98 ml preoperatively to 17 ml immediately after removal of the catheter. Urodynamics after the follow up period showed that the maximum urinary flow improved from 9.7 ml/s preoperatively to 17,6 ml/s and the volume of residual urine decreased from a median of 127.5 ml preoperatively to 45 ml postoperatively. The IPSS and IIEF decreased from a median of 20,4 preoperatively to 8,16 and from a median of 14 preoperatively to 12,7 respectively. The pressure-flow study verified the desobstruction and showed a decline in detrusor pressure at maximum flow from 76,66 cm H2O to 33,79 cm H2O. The urethral opening pressure sank from 75.86 cm H2O preoperatively to 37,51 cm H2O postoperatively. CONCLUSION: The potassium tintanyl phosphate (KTP) vaporisation of the prostate is a promising new method in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia as shown by the data. Beside its low perioperative and postoperative morbidity due to a high hemostatic property it offers a good tissue debulking effect.

[Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma. A rare and aggressive variation of primary renal cell carcinoma]. / Das sarkomatoide Nierenzellkarzinom. Eine seltene und aggressive Variante des primären Nierenzellkarzinoms.

Every year, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is responsible for the highest proportion of cancer-associated deaths in relation to all other malignant urological diseases. Initially called carcinosarcoma, the sarcomatoid differentiation confers higher aggressiveness on any of the different subtypes of RCC, with a frequency of ca. 1%. The presence of a sarcomatoid component makes the disease locally aggressive, which typically presents an advanced grade that is associated with fast progression and fatal outcome in a vast proportion of cases, with median survival lower than 1 year. This is important for predicting the outcome for patients undergoing nephrectomy due to RCC, since chemotherapy in a certain group of patients with progressive disease can be a reasonable alternative to the failure of immunotherapy in sarcomatoid renal carcinoma. We report our experience with sarcomatoid RCC in four patients with extensive tumor progression in comparison to the literature.

[The influence of the T stage on the risk of metastasis of penis cancer: T1 vs. T2]. / Der Einfluss des T-Stadiums auf das Metastasierungsrisiko des Peniskarzinoms: T1 vs. T2.

BACKGROUND: Controversies persist over the therapeutic approach to T1 penile carcinoma, particularly in patients with negative inguinal lymph nodes. Available data on lymph nodes metastases (LNM) in T1 carcinoma are contradictory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the metastatic risk of T1 carcinoma and to compare it with that of T2 carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 37 patients (pts) with T1 or T2 tumors were reviewed. Assessment of the inguinal lymph node condition was based on node dissection in 29 pts and surveillance in eight pts (mean 62 months, range 22-162). RESULTS: Grading was classified as good (G1), moderate (G2) and poor (G3) in seven, 26 and four pts, respectively. Tumor stage was T1 in 21 and T2 in 16 pts. LNM were observed in eight of 21 T1 (38%) and six of 16 T2 tumors (38%). No G1 and all G3 tumors developed LNM independently of tumor stage. Ten of the 26 G2 carcinomas (38%) harboured LNM and seven of these pts (70%) had a T1 tumor. CONCLUSIONS: According to our data, the metastatic potential of T1 penile carcinoma has been underestimated in the recent literature. Tumor grading has a substantially stronger impact on the metastatic risk in T1 and T2 penile carcinoma than tumor stage, indicating a surgical lymph node staging starting at the pT1G2 stage.

[Urinary cytology. Possibilities, limitations and the future]. / Die Urinzytologie. Möglichkeiten, Grenzen und Zukunft.

Even now, 60 years after the fundamental studies on oncological urinary cytology carried out by Papanicolaou and Marschall and the subsequent integration of the test they devised into the diagnostic investigations applied in the diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma, urinary cytology still maintains its place in the diagnosis of primary and recurrent tumours of the urinary tract. Newer diagnostic techniques involving urine-bound tumour markers have not so far achieved such high levels of acceptance as their method. It is possible, certainly, that a combination of these newer methods with cytological testing, or with other innovative diagnostic methods, such as photodynamic techniques, could prove very promising in the future and might overcome the limitations of urinary cytology.

Refluxing chimney versus nonrefluxing LeDuc ureteroileal anastomosis for orthotopic ileal neobladder: a comparative analysis for patients with bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: Radical cystectomy and various techniques of urinary diversion are gold standard treatments for invasive bladder cancer. However, postoperative hydronephrosis is a common complication in these patients. A special focus was placed on the type of ureteroileal anastomosis used with 2 different techniques performed at 1 institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1995 and 2003 a total of 106 consecutive patients with bladder cancer underwent cystectomy followed by construction of an ileal neobladder. The nonrefluxing technique of ureter tunneling described by LeDuc and the refluxing chimney technique used for ureter implantation into the ileum-neobladder were compared. Hydronephrosis due to ureteral strictures was studied immediately following surgery and up to 5 years after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 204 RU were included in the study. The LeDuc technique was used in 132 RU (64%) and the chimney technique was used in 72 RU (36%). Hydronephrosis rate of 2% were found in each of the 2 groups after 5 years of followup. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative hydronephrosis due to ureteral strictures is observed at the same rate during long-term followup with the LeDuc and chimney techniques. We favor the chimney technique compared to the LeDuc tunnel due to easier technical preparation and a better chance to identify the ureters endoscopically at a later time. The chimney does give extra length to reach the ureteral stump, especially in cases of distal ureteral carcinoma in situ.

[Decreased number of R1-resections in radical retropubic prostatectomy. Use of a newly developed fast sectioning technique]. / Reduzierte Anzahl von R1-Resektionen bei retropubischer radikaler Prostatektomie Einsatz eines neu entwickelten Schnellschnittverfahrens.

Therapeutic success and prognosis in RRP is determined by negative surgical margins. In order to minimize the proportion of positive surgical margins in the final histological evaluation, valid intraoperative control by means of frozen margin analysis is indispensable. We have developed and evaluated a new frozen margin procedure based on the Stanford method with transverse and sagittal cut directions. This technique facilitates comprehensive intraoperative evaluation of curved margin areas for the first time. Retrospective analysis of the results of the new frozen section technique revealed positive surgical margins in 2.7% of patients. The results obtained with this new technique were significantly superior to those obtained with two established techniques (10.3%, P < or =0.001; 17.2%, P < or =0.001). Our results demonstrate that the new frozen margin technique is clearly more sensitive for intraoperative detection of positive margins and thus leads to substantially higher rates of negative surgical margins.

["Second line" polychemotherapy in metastatic urothelial cancer of the renal pelvis. Persisting partial remission by 18 treatment cycles of gemcitabine/paclitaxel after 24 treatment cycles gemcitabine/cisplatin "stable disease"]. / "Second-line-Polychemotherapie" beim metastasierten Urothelkarzinom des Nierenbeckens. Andauernde partielle Remission nach 18 Kursen Gemcitabin/Paclitaxel trotz 24 Kursen Gemcitabin/Cisplatin im "stable disease".

Moderate activity of systemic chemotherapy for advanced urothelial cancer has been reported for more than 30 years. Only with the advent of potent combination therapy in the mid-1980s have clinically significant response rates and prolonged survival been documented. Due to the small number of cases and poor prognosis, knowledge is scant about the therapeutic effect of "second-line" polychemotherapy in metastatic upper tract urothelial cancer. We report an interesting case of a 59-year-old man suffering from urothelial cancer of the renal pelvis with pulmonary, lymphogenous, and bone metastases who had an unexpected response to "second-line" chemotherapy with only 2 treatment cycles of gemcitabine/paclitaxel (partial remission) after 24 treatment cycles of gemcitabine/cisplatin in "stable disease" with progression between the therapeutic intervals.

[Cystectomy for indications other than bladder cancer]. / Die Zystektomie aus anderer Indikation als dem Blasenkarzinom.

A cystectomy for indications other than transitional cell cancer of the bladder or general bladder cancer is frequently performed in cooperation with other surgical specialties such as general surgery or gynecology. In these cases the urological procedure as well as the oncological and surgical concepts of other specialties have to be combined. We studied our cystectomy patients who had undergone such a combined procedure for a non-urothelial indication concerning perioperative and postoperative complications.A total of 204 cystectomies were performed by the Department of Urology at the University of Hamburg, Germany between 1995 and 2003. Bladder cancer was the indication for cystectomy in 162 patients, but 42 patients had a non-urothelial indication for this procedure. These patients included 12 cases of advanced rectal cancer, 9 cases of advanced cervical cancer, 6 cases of advanced sigmoid cancer, 4 cases of advanced prostate cancer, 1 case of prostate sarcoma, 5 cases of complex vesicointestinal fistulae, 2 cases of urachal cancer, 1 leiomyosarcoma, 1 rhabdomyoma, and 1 rhabdomyosarcoma, respectively. Perioperative and postoperative complications of those patients were compared to patients who underwent cystectomy for transitional cell cancer of the bladder.Those 42 patients who underwent cystectomy for non-urothelial indications included 14 male and 28 female patients. The mean age was 58.2 years with a range of 3-78 years. For urinary diversion 30 ileum conduits, 4 sigma conduits, and 8 ileum neobladders were used. The mean operative time was 6.25 h. The mean blood loss was 2200 ml. An average of four red blood cell concentrates (RBC) had to be given. Postoperative hydronephrosis had to be treated in three (7%) patients unilaterally and in two (5%) patients bilaterally with a temporary nephrostomy. Postoperative urinary leakage lasting more than 30 days was found in two (5%) patients. A deep vein thrombosis as well as an ileus was found in five (12%) patients each, respectively. There was no perioperative mortality in this study. When comparing the complications of those patients with the 162 patients who underwent cystectomy for bladder cancer, the only significant difference ( p=0.033, chi-square test) was a higher ileus rate in the patients with cystectomy for a non-urothelial indication. Complications with cystectomy for non-urothelial indications are in large comparable to those for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. The higher ileus rate in non-urothelial patients can be explained by the more radical procedures in this group of patients. Even though the group of patients undergoing cystectomy for indications other than bladder cancer was small in this trial, the procedure is standardized in combination with other specialties. Larger patient numbers and a longer follow-up will lead to more data in this special group of patients.

[Non-invasive urine tests in diagnosis and as prognostic markers for urinary bladder carcinoma. Comparison of the BTAstat and NMP 22 tests with immunocytology using monoclonal antibodies against Lewis X and 486p3/12]. / Nichtinvasive Urintests in der Diagnostik und als Prognosemarker beim Harnblasenkarzinom.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The non-invasive detection of urothelial carcinoma remains challenging. The aim of this study was the prospective evaluation of urine markers for bladder carcinoma. We compared the NMP 22 and BTAstat tests with immunocytology (IC) using monoclonal antibodies against the Lewis X antigen and against 486p3/12. METHODS: NMP 22 and BTAstat were performed on urine samples, and IC with 486p3/12 and Lewis X staining was performed on urine samples as well as bladder wash specimens ( n=146) in patients ( n=115) undergoing transurethral resection on suspicion of bladder cancer (70 specimens) or follow up cystoscopy because of a history of bladder cancer (76 specimens). Bladder cancer was detected in 54 patients (pTa: n=25, pT1: n=20, pT2: n=8, CiS: n=1). Cut-off levels were 10 U/ml for the NMP 22, 30% positive cells for 486p3/12, and 5% positive cells for the Lewis X test. RESULTS: The BTAstat test was positive in 65 (44.5%) cases, the NMP 22 in 69 (47.3%) cases, IC with 486p3/12 and the Lewis X was positive in 52 (35.6%) and 109 (74.7%) cases, respectively. Sensitivity was 70.3% (BTAstat), 68.5% (NMP 22), 94.4% (Lewis X), and 68.5% (486p3/12), respectively. The specificity was 70.6% (BTAstat), 65.2% (NMP 22), 36.9% (Lewis X), and 83.6% (486p3/12), respectively. Among the patients with a false positive test 2/22 (9.0%) patients (BTAstat), 2/25 (8%) patients (NMP 22 test), 4/43 (9.3%) patients (Lewis X), and 3/11 (27%) patients (486p3/12), respectively, suffered from tumor recurrence. In contrast, among the patients with a correct negative test 2/39 (2.0%) (BTAstat), 2/36 (0.5%) (NMP 22), 0/18 (0%) (Lewis X), and 1/50 (2.0%) (486p3/12), respectively, suffered from tumor recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: IC with the Lewis X revealed a higher sensitivity than all of the tested, commercially available methods. Because of its high sensitivity and its high negative predictive value, the Lewis X test may be useful for screening a high-risk population. Patients with a false positive 486p3/12 test have an increased risk of tumor recurrence when compared with patients with a correct negative test.

[Suprarenal leiomyoma of the vena cava. A rare differential adrenal gland tumor diagnosis]. / Suprarenales Leiomyom der Vena cava. Eine seltene Differenzialdiagnose eines Nebennierentumors.

Leiomyomas are benign tumors that can arise in the smooth muscle and can appear practically everywhere; hence, they must be taken into consideration as a rare possibility in the differential diagnosis of numerous tumors. While leiomyomas of the peripheral vessels are a relatively common finding, they are rarely found in the central vessels. Only a few cases of leiomyomas in the vena cava are known. In contrast to malignant leiomyosarcomas, leiomyomas usually grow towards the lumen. We report on the rare case of a leiomyoma in the inferior vena cava that appeared in the image to be located in the adrenal gland. Therefore, transperitoneal extirpation of the site was undertaken. It was only during surgery that a tumor emanating from the vessel wall became apparent. Thus, after an initial laparoscopic approach it became necessary to change to open resection of the tumor with cavotomy and resection of the vessel wall. The histopathological work-up revealed a benign leiomyoma and further imaging diagnostics gave no indication for the presence of metastases.