Contemporary Experience with Laparoscopic Radical Nephrectomy

Molecular marker for predicting treatment response in advanced renal cell carcinoma: does the promise fulfill clinical need?

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is largely diagnosed incidentally on imaging taken for unrelated reasons. The management of localized lesions is primarily extirpative with excellent results. Treatment of advanced RCC has evolved over recent years with the use of targeted therapies such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, and antibody-mediated therapies. The treatment response to these targeted therapies is highly variable, with no clear clinical method of identifying patients who will benefit from or not tolerate therapy. The field of molecular markers has evolved significantly in the last decade, with a multitude of markers identified that predict treatment response and drug toxicity. The following review critically evaluates those molecular markers that have been assessed for their utility in predicting treatment response in patients with advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Identifying the ideal treatment for these patients will improve responses to therapy, minimize morbidity, and save significant healthcare dollars.

Contemporary urologic minilaparoscopy: indications, techniques, and surgical outcomes in a multi-institutional European cohort

OBJECTIVES

To provide an analytical overview of contemporary indications, techniques, and outcomes of urologic minilaparoscopy (ML) in multiple European centers.

METHODS

Data of patients who had undergone a minilaparoscopic urologic procedure at nine European institutions between 2009 and 2012 were retrospectively gathered. Surgical procedures were classified as upper or lower urinary tract and as ablative or extirpative and reconstructive. The main surgical outcome parameters were analyzed and relevant operative data related to the surgical technique were recorded.

RESULTS

Overall, 192 patients (mean age 45.25±17.8 years) were included in the analysis. Most of them were nonobese (mean body mass index [BMI] 24.7±3.6 kg/m(2)) at low estimated surgical risk (mean American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] 1.69±0.68). Indications for surgery were mostly nononcologic (132 cases, 68.8%). Most of the procedures were done in the upper urinary tract (133 cases, 69.2%) and were mostly with a reconstructive intent (109 cases, 56.7%). Overall operative time was 132.7±52.3 minutes with an estimated blood loss of 60.9±47.6 mL while the mean hospital stay was 5±2.1 days. Most of the postoperative complications were low Clavien grade (1 and 2), with only one (0.5%) grade 3 and one (0.5%) grade 4 complications recorded.

CONCLUSIONS

A broad range of common procedures can be safely and effectively performed with ML techniques. By duplicating the principles of standard laparoscopy, but potentially offering less surgical scar and trauma, ML can be regarded as a viable option when looking for a virtually "scarless" surgery.

Cost aspects of radical nephrectomy for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma in Korea: open, laparoscopic, robot-assisted laparoscopic, and video-assisted minilaparotomy surgeries

Purpose

This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the cost-effectiveness of four different types of radical nephrectomy (RN) techniques: open, laparoscopic, robot-assisted laparoscopic, and video-assisted minilaparotomy surgery (VAMS).

Materials and Methods

Among patients who were diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and underwent RN, 20 patients were selected who received open, laparoscopic, robot-assisted laparoscopic, or VAMS RN between January 2008 and December 2010. Their medical fees were divided into four categories: procedure and operation, anesthesia, laboratory test, and medical supply fees. The medical costs of the patients were also divided into insured and uninsured costs.

Results

The total direct cost of VAMS, open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted laparoscopic RN were 2,023,791±240,757, 2,024,246±674,859 (p=0.998), 3,603,557±870,333 (p<0.01), and 8,021,902±330,157 (p<0.01) Korean Won (KRW, the currency of South Koea), respectively. The total insured cost of VAMS, open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted laparoscopic RN was 1,904,627±231,957, 1,798,127±645,602 (p=0.634), 3,039,769±711,792 (p<0.01), and 899,668±323,508 (p<0.01) KRW, respectively. The total uninsured cost of VAMS, open, laparoscopic, and robot-assisted laparoscopic RN was 119,163±24,581, 226,119±215,009, 563,788±487,798 (p<0.01), and 7,122,234±56,117 (p<0.01) KRW, respectively. Medical supply fees accounted for the largest portion of the costs and amounted to 33.43% of the VAMS cost.

Conclusions

VAMS RN is as cost-effective as open surgery. Furthermore, it is comparatively more cost-effective than laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic RN.

Survival after partial and radical nephrectomy for the treatment of stage T1bN0M0 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the USA: a propensity scoring approach

Study Type - Therapy (cohort) Level of Evidence 2b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Partial nephrectomy has become the standard of care for T1a renal tumours, and the application of nephron-sparing techniques has increasingly been expanded to patients with localized T1b cancers. However, the relative efficacy of partial versus radical nephrectomy for these medium-sized tumours has yet to be definitively established. This study employs a propensity scoring approach within a large US population-based cohort to determine that no survival differences exist among patients with T1b renal tumours undergoing partial versus radical nephrectomy.

OBJECTIVES

To compare survival after partial nephrectomy (PN) vs radical nephrectomy (RN) among patients with stage TIb renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using a propensity scoring approach. Propensity score analysis is a statistical methodology that controls for non-random assignment of patients in observational studies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry, 11,256 cases of RCCs of 4-7 cm that underwent PN or RN between 1998 and 2007 were identified. Propensity score analysis was used to adjust for potential differences in baseline characteristics between patients in the two treatment groups. Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients undergoing PN vs RN was compared in stratified and adjusted analysis, controlling for propensity scores.

RESULTS

In all, 1047 (9.3%) patients underwent PN. For the entire cohort, no difference in survival was found in patients treated with PN as compared with RN, as shown by the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for OS (1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91-1.36) and renal-CSS (HR 0.91; 95% CI: 0.65-1.27).   When the cohort was stratified by tumour size and age, no difference in survival was identified between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Even when stratified by tumour size and age, a survival difference between PN and RN in a propensity-adjusted cohort of patients with T1b RCC could not be confirmed.  If validated in prospective studies, PN may become the preferred treatment for T1b renal tumours in centres experienced with nephron-sparing surgery.

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery in urology: worldwide multi-institutional analysis of 1076 cases

BACKGROUND

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) has gained popularity in urology over the last few years.

OBJECTIVE

To report a large multi-institutional worldwide series of LESS in urology.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Consecutive cases of LESS done between August 2007 and November 2010 at 18 participating institutions were included in this retrospective analysis.

INTERVENTION

Each group performed a variety of LESS procedures according to its own protocols, entry criteria, and techniques.

MEASUREMENTS

Demographic data, main perioperative outcome parameters, and information related to the surgical technique were gathered and analyzed. Conversions to reduced-port laparoscopy, conventional laparoscopy, or open surgery were evaluated, as were intraoperative and postoperative complications.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

Overall, 1076 patients were included in the analysis. The most common procedures were extirpative or ablative operations in the upper urinary tract. The da Vinci robot was used to operate on 143 patients (13%). A single-port technique was most commonly used and the umbilicus represented the most common access site. Overall, operative time was 160±93 min and estimated blood loss was 148±234 ml. Skin incision length at closure was 3.5±1.5 cm. Mean hospital stay was 3.6±2.7 d with a visual analog pain score at discharge of 1.5±1.4. An additional port was used in 23% of cases. The overall conversion rate was 20.8%; 15.8% of patients were converted to reduced-port laparoscopy, 4% to conventional laparoscopy/robotic surgery, and 1% to open surgery. The intraoperative complication rate was 3.3%. Postoperative complications, mostly low grade, were encountered in 9.5% of cases.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a global view of the evolution of LESS in the field of minimally invasive urologic surgery. A broad range of procedures have been effectively performed, primarily in the academic setting, within diverse health care systems around the world. Since LESS is performed by experienced laparoscopic surgeons, the risk of complications remains low when stringent patient-selection criteria are applied.