title: Retrograde endoscopic laser therapy and ureteroscopic surveillance for transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the efficacy of endoscopic laser therapy and ureteroscopic surveillance for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the upper urinary tract.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tumors of the upper urinary tract were detected at ureteroscopy. After TCC was diagnosed by biopsy, retrograde endoscopic laser therapy was performed. Recurrent tumors were treated endoscopically and the patients were followed by ureteroscopic surveillance at 3- to 6-month intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven patients underwent ureteroscopic treatment. The tumor was grade 1 in five patients and grade 2 in two patients. The average tumor size was 1.3 cm. One patient with large, multifocal tumors died of metastatic disease, and one died of an unrelated cause. One patient requested nephroureterectomy after endoscopic treatment. The remaining four patients were followed up for a mean of 32 months after initial treatment. Each patient received an average of 5.3 ureteroscopic surveillance procedures while 3.3 recurrences on average were detected. Recurrence occurred in all the patients who showed normal radiographic findings. Urine cytology was also of little value in predicting tumor recurrence, except in one patient with carcinoma in situ. The recurrent tumors detected by ureteroscopy were successfully treated by repeated endoscopic procedures. After the follow up, three patients remained alive with no signs indicative of disease, but one patient with an initial grade 2 tumor died of recurrence after 30 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given that ureteroscopic evaluation is essential for surveillance after endoscopic treatment of upper urinary tract TCC because of residual concern about recurrence, patients treated endoscopically should be recommended to undergo long-term endoscopic follow up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan. mugiya@hama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mugiya
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozono
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagae
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007682:Kidney Pelvis / Q000473:pathology; D017075:Laser Coagulation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014516:Ureteral Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018666:Ureteroscopy / Q000379:methods*