Percutaneous Management of Upper-Tract Transitional Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

The gold standard treatment for supravesical urothelial carcinoma has been open radical nephroureterectomy based on the premise that this cancer is a field defect. However, nephroureterectomy is an extensive procedure that may not be tolerated by all patients. Percutaneous and ureteroscopic approaches have been utilized in an attempt to avoid the potential morbidity associated with traditional open surgery. This review provides an update on percutaneous management of upper-tract urothelial transitional-cell cancer based on a review of the pertinent literature.

Transitional cell carcinomas of the renal pelvis and the ureter: comparative demographic characteristics, pathological grade and stage and 5‐year survival in a Taiwanese population

“…Recent studies evaluated minimally invasive treatments for upper tract TCC, e.g. adjuvant topical therapy [32–34]. Ureteroscopic management remains the preferred procedure for initial diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of low‐grade upper tract TCC.…”

“…However, percutaneous management, e.g. complete NU with BCE is still recommended for patients with high grade disease [25,33]. Recently, laparoscopic NU has proven to be a minimally invasive, safe and effective alternative approach [35].…”