Impact of postoperative complications on long-term survival in bladder cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of postoperative complications on long-term survival outcomes in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy. METHODS: This retrospective multi-institutional study included 766 bladder cancer patients who underwent radical cystectomy between 2011 and 2017. Patient characteristics, perioperative outcomes, all complications within 90 days after surgery and survival outcomes were collected. Each complication was graded based on the Clavien-Dindo system, and grouped using a standardized grouping method. The Comprehensive Complication Index, which incorporates all complications into a single formula weighted by their severity, was utilized. Overall survival and recurrence-free survival (local, distant or urothelial recurrences) were stratified by Comprehensive Complication Index (high: ≥26.2; low: <26.2). A multivariate model was utilized to identify independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: The incidence of any and major complications (≥Clavien-Dindo grade III) was 70 and 24%, respectively. In terms of Comprehensive Complication Index, 34% (261/766) of the patients had ≥26.2. Patients with Comprehensive Complication Index ≥ 26.2 had shorter overall survival (4-year, 59.5 vs. 69.8%, respectively, log-rank test, P = 0.0037) and recurrence free survival (51.9 vs. 60.1%, respectively, P = 0.0234), than those with Comprehensive Complication Index < 26.2. The Cox multivariate model identified the age, performance status, pT-stage, pN-stage and higher CCI (overall survival: HR = 1.35, P = 0.0174, recurrence-free survival: HR = 1.26, P = 0.0443) as independent predictors of both overall survivial and recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative complications assessed by Comprehensive Complication Index had adverse effects on long-term survival outcomes. Physicians should be aware that major postoperative complications can adversely affect long-term disease control.

[A Case of WDHA Water Diarrhea Hypokalemia Achlorhydria Syndrome that Developed after Multimodal Therapy for Retroperitoneal Paraganglioma].

A 45-year-old woman visited a local clinic with left-flank abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a tumor 20 cm in diameter in the left adrenal gland. She was referred to our hospital for further treatment. No endocrinological abnormality was detected on either serum or urine examination. CT and haematology findings led to a preoperative diagnosis of primary adrenal carcinoma, and we performed a left adrenalectomy. Histopathological examination revealed a paraganglioma with intact adrenal gland. Therefore we diagnosed this case as primary retroperitoneal paraganglioma. Six months after the surgery, she developed peritoneal dissemination including bilateral ovarian metastases. After cytoreductive metastasectomy, she received 131I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) radiotherapy. During the following five-year follow-up, MIBG radiotherapy in conjunction with cytoreductive metastasectomy (3 surgeries and 6 sessions of 131I-MIBG radiotherapy) was performed, aiming at disease control. Five years after the initial surgery, liver, lung, and intra-peritoneal dissemination progressed. Thereafter, she developed severe diarrhea, hypokalemia, and metabolic acidosis with an elevated level of vasoactive intestional peptide, which was consistent with water diarrhea, hypokalemia, achlorhydria (WDHA) syndrome. Despite intensive treatments such as with a somatostatin analogue, she died two months after the onset of this syndrome.

Diagnostic outcome of ureteroscopy in urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract: Incidence of later cancer detection and its risk factors after the first examination.

BACKGROUND: To determine the incidence of later cancer detection and its risk factors after the first diagnostic ureteroscopy. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-six patients undergoing diagnostic ureteroscopy based on the suspicion of urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (UC of the UUT) between 1995 and 2012 were included. We examined the diagnostic outcome of the initial ureteroscopy. Thereafter, we collected follow-up data on patients who had not been diagnosed with UC of the UUT at the first examination, and evaluated the incidence of later cancer detection and its risk factors using Cox hazard models. RESULTS: Of the 166 patients, 76 (45.8%) were diagnosed with UC of the UUT at the first diagnostic ureteroscopy. The remaining 90 (54.2%) were diagnosed with other malignancies (n = 22), non-malignant disorders (n = 18), or without disorders (n = 50). Of these 90 patients, follow-up data were available in 65 patients (median: 41 months, range: 3-170). During the follow-up, carcinoma was detected in 6 patients (6/65, 9.2%) at a median of 43.5 months (range: 10-59). Episodes of gross hematuria (p = 0.0048) and abnormal cytological findings (p = 0.0335) during the follow-up and a male sex (p = 0.0316) were adverse risk factors. CONCLUSION: Later cancer detection of UC of the UUT was not uncommon after the first examination. The risk analysis revealed the aforementioned characteristics.

[The significance of metastasectomy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma].

We conducted a retrospective study to clarify the clinical significance of metastasectomy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Of 83 mRCC patients who were treated at our hospital between 2005 and 2010, 19 patients who underwent metastasectomy during the treatment course were the subjects of the present study. By the purpose and timing of metastasectomy, we classified the 19 patients into three groups : (1) patients who immediately underwent metastasectomy at diagnosis of metastasis (primary group), (2) patients who underwent resection of clinically problematic metastatic lesions for the relief of their symptoms (palliative group), and (3) patients who underwent complete resection of all metastatic lesions after sufficient systemic therapies (consolidation group). In the primary group (n=5), four patients had lung metastasis and one had metastases to limbs and the adrenal gland. Overall survival at 3 years was 100%. In the palliative group (n=4), 3 patients underwent resection of brain metastasis and one underwent resection of skin metastasis. The symptoms associated with metastasis clearly improved. In the consolidation group (n=10), the metastasized organ was the lung in 5 patients, pancreas in 4, and liver in one. Preoperative systemic therapy included sunitinib or sorafenib in 5 patients, interferon-α in 4, and S-1 in one. After metastasectomy, systemic therapies were discontinued in 9 patients, 4 of whom did not experience RCC recurrence, with a median follow-up of 35 months. Overall survival at 3 years was 60%. Metastasectomy would be a good treatment option in patients with mRCC.