Comparison of perioperative outcomes among patients with exophytic, mesophytic, and endophytic renal tumors undergoing robot-assisted partial nephrectomy

OBJECTIVES

It has been well documented that partial nephrectomy for completely endophytic renal tumors is a highly challenging procedure accompanied by several technical difficulties even with the assistance of a robotic surgical system. This study aimed to compare perioperative variables among patients with exophytic, mesophytic, and endophytic renal tumors undergoing robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.

METHODS

This study retrospectively included 265 consecutive patients with localized small renal masses undergoing robot-assisted partial nephrectomy at our institution. In this study, completely endophytic tumor was defined as the mass totally covered by renal healthy parenchyma, and according to the points for the 'E' domain of RENAL nephrometry score based on preoperative computed tomography, subjects were classified into three groups as follows: exophytic, mesophytic, and endophytic tumor groups, and perioperative outcomes among these groups were compared.

RESULTS

Of 265 patients, 127, 112, and 26 were classified into the exophytic, mesophytic, and endophytic tumor groups, respectively. A significantly smaller tumor diameter was observed in the endophytic group than in the other groups (P < 0.001), whereas the RENAL nephrometry score was significantly higher (P < 0.001). In addition, the warm ischemia time in the endophytic tumor group was significantly longer than that in other groups (P = 0.009); however, no significant difference in the trifecta achievement was noted among the three groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for patients with completely endophytic tumors can be regarded as a feasible approach without marked impairment of perioperative outcomes; however, further investigation of the long-term functional and oncological outcomes in these patients is required.

Capsule endoscopy in the diagnosis of an exophytic gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the small intestine of a young adult woman: A case report

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors that mainly arise in the gastrointestinal tract. They are usually asymptomatic and are incidentally discovered during endoscopy or surgery. Diagnosis is confirmed by histological examination of the specimen. This is the case report of an asymptomatic GIST of the small intestine diagnosed by wireless capsule endoscopy. The tumor was initially suspected to be a leiomyoma, as GISTs in young adults are rare and are mainly discovered incidentally during colorectal cancer screening. The patient was a 35-year-old woman with occult gastrointestinal bleeding, with a normal medical history. An endoscopic assessment of the upper and lower GI tract (gastroscopy and colonoscopy) was performed, but did not reveal any abnormalities. Subsequently, an exophytic tumor initially suspected as leiomyoma or external pressure was detected in the small intestine by capsule endoscopy. A computed tomography scan was suggestive of a soft tissue tumor arising from the small intestine. A surgical specimen was obtained and the immunohistochemical examination revealed that the tumor was positive for CD117 and discovered on GIST-1 markers, while the markers of carcinoma, melanoma and lymphoma were negative, which was consistent with a diagnosis of a low-risk GIST with a mitotic count of <5/50 high-power fields. In this study, we aimed to present in detail the capsule endoscopic and radiological characteristics, as well as the findings of the histological examination of the surgical specimen. In conclusion, when occult blood is detected in the stool, even when gastroscopy and colonoscopy reveal no abnormal findings, small intestinal lesions should be suspected. Exophytic small intestinal GISTs, although rare, particularly in younger patients, they should be considered by physicians in the differential diagnosis of obscure GI bleeding of unknown origin, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality. Capsule endoscopy may be considered to be the first choice as a diagnostic tool for obscure GI bleeding.

Large cystic-based gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report

A 60-year-old male with increasing abdominal distension was admitted to The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou, China). The abdominal sonogram exhibited a huge abdominal cystic-based mass with solid components in the left upper quadrant. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a large heterogeneous cystic solid tumor, but the source of the tumor could not be determined. The laparotomy demonstrated a huge cystic-based tumor with an integrated cystic wall, arising from the posterior wall of the gastric body. Multiple septa and ~3,500 ml of yellowish fluid were found in the cystic cavity. Pathological analysis showed that the tumor contained a mixture of polygonal and spindle cells. Immunohistochemical study indicated that the tumor cells were positive for CD117 and CD34. The final diagnosis was gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor. The patient recovered well and no recurrence or metastasis was identified following a 12-month follow-up.