title: Robot-assisted nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: the Taiwan Robot Urological Surgery Team (TRUST) experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To report Taiwan's experience in robot-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (RANU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with a diagnosis of renal pelvic or ureteral urothelial carcinoma underwent RANU at three medical centers. We performed RANU by re-docking the robot after the nephrectomy with or without repositioning for excision of the distal ureter and bladder cuff.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From November 2010 to July 2013, a total of 20 patients with a mean age of 70.1 +/- 9.9 years (range 43 to 92 years) and mean body mass index (BMI) of 22.9 +/-3.8 kg/m2 underwent RANU for renal pelvic or ureteral urothelial carcinoma. Mean operative time was 251.6 +/- 126.7 minutes (range 110 to 540 minutes), estimated blood loss was 50.0 +/- 42.9 mL (range 10 to 200 mL), and mean length of hospital stay was 6.7 +/- 2.4 days (range 4 to 12 days). Pathology data revealed 19 high and one low-grade urothelial carcinoma and staged Ta for three, T1 for five, T2 for five and T3 for seven. With a mean follow-up of 14.7 months (range 2 to 34 months), three intravesical recurrences developed in the bladder, and four of them also developed metastatic disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TRUST early experience showed that RANU is a safe and feasible minimally invasive procedure for UTUC.
authors.forename: Chen-Kuang
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shiu-Dong
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Shun-Fa
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Wei-Che
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 1650 Taiwan Boulevard, Taichung 40705, Taiwan. ycou228@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yen-Chuan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.forename: Chao-Yuan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yeong-Shiau
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Pu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009392:Nephrectomy; D011379:Prognosis; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D014513:Ureter / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*