To investigate the association between preoperative retrograde pyelography (RGP), conducted to evaluate upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), and intravesical recurrence (IVR) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).
Of 114 patients that underwent RNU, 72 patients without preoperative ureteroscopy and a history of bladder tumor were selectively enrolled. Variables associated with IVR were identified.
RGP was performed at a mean duration of 24.9 days prior to RNU in 41 (56.1%) of study subjects. During the mean follow-up period of 64.5 months, IVRs were identified in 32 (44.4%) patients at 22.3±18.8 (mean±SD) months after RNU. Despite similar tumor characteristics in the RGP and non-RGP groups, the incidence of IVR was considerably higher in the RGP group (63.4%) than in the non-RGP group (19.4%, p <0.001). The following variables differed significantly between the IVR and non-IVR groups: age (64.6±8.51 vs. 59.6±9.65 years), tumor location (lower or upper; 53.1% vs. 20%), tumor invasiveness (> pT2; 53.1% vs. 17.5%), preoperative hemoglobin (12.8±1.36 vs. 13.9±1.65), preoperative creatinine (1.29±0.32 vs. 1.11±0.22), and preoperative RGP (81.3% vs. 37.5%), respectively. Multivariate Cox regression model showed that tumor location (p=0.020, HR=2.742), preoperative creatinine level (p=0.004, HR=6.351), and preoperative RGP (p=0.045, HR=3.134) independently predicted IVR.
Given the limitations of retrospective single-center series, performance of RGP before RNU was shown to have a negative effect on IVR after surgery.
International braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of Urology. 0000 Jan [Epub]
Young Hwii Ko, Phil Hyun Song, Taeyong Park, Jae Young Choi
Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea., Department of Urology, Pusan Paik Hospital, Inje University, Busan, Republic of Korea.