Batson's Paravertebral Venous Plexus and Single Vertebral Metastases from Renal cell Carcinoma

Objectives

The presence of a single site bone metastasis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a rare clinical event. We report a single case of RCC with solitary vertebral metastasis and review of literature about renal tumor spreading in order to understand the anatomic explanation for this peculiar clinical case.

Methods

We have considered the single case and reviewed current and past literature to describe the anatomic and functional background of this clinical situation.

Results

There are rare cases of single vertebral metastasis from RCC and these are characterized from a contemporary neoplastic thrombus. The neoplastic thrombus could justify the tumoral back-flow into the paravertebral anasthomoses and so into vertebral venous sinusoids. The rich anasthomotic system that surrounds kidneys and the experimental evidence of anasthomotic links among perirenal Lejars venous system and paravertebral Batson's venous system could explain these clinical evidences.

Conclusion

Enrolment of para-vertebral Batson's venous system could have a major role in the RCC vertebral metastatic diffusion.

Treatment options and predictive factors for recurrence and cancer-specific mortality in bladder cancer after renal transplantation: A multi-institutional analysis

OBJECTIVES

Bladder cancer (BC) in the transplanted population can represent a challenge owing to the immunosuppressed state of patients and the higher rate of comorbidities. The objective was to analyze the treatment of BC after renal transplant (RT), focusing on the mode of presentation, diagnosis, treatment options and predictive factors for recurrence.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We conducted an observational prospective study with a retrospective analysis of 88 patients with BC after RT at 10 European centers. Clinical and oncologic data were collected, and indications and results of adjuvant treatment reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method and uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 10,000 RTs were performed. Diagnosis of BC occurred at a median of 73 months after RT. Median follow-up was 126 months. Seventy-one patients (81.6%) had non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, of whom 29 (40.8%) received adjuvant treatment; of these, six (20.6%) received bacillus Calmette-Guérin and 20 (68.9%) mitomycin C. At univariate analysis, patients who received bacillus Calmette-Guérin had a significantly lower recurrence rate (P=.043). At multivariate analysis, a switch from immunosuppression to mTOR inhibitors significantly reduced the risk of recurrence (HR 0.24, 95% CI: 0.053-0.997, P=.049) while presence of multiple tumors increased it (HR 6.31, 95% CI: 1.78-22.3, P=.004). Globally, 26 patients (29.88%) underwent cystectomy. No major complications were recorded. Overall mortality (OM) was 32.2% (28 patients); the cancer-specific mortality was 13.8%.

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant bacillus Calmette-Guérin significantly reduces the risk of recurrence, as does switch to mTOR inhibitors. Multiple tumors increase the risk.

Systematic review of perioperative outcomes and complications after open, laparoscopic and robot-assisted radical cystectomy

Radical cystectomy and regional lymph node dissection is the standard treatment for localized muscle-invasive and for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and represents one of the main surgical urologic procedures. The open surgical approach is still widely adopted, even if in the last two decades efforts have been made in order to evaluate if minimally invasive procedures, either laparoscopic or robot-assisted, might show a benefit compared to the standard technique. Open radical cystectomy is associated with a high complication rate, but data from the laparoscopic and robotic surgical series failed to demonstrate a clear reduction in post-operative complication rates compared to the open surgical series. Laparoscopic and robotic radical cystectomy show a reduction in blood loss, in-hospital stay and transfusion rates but a longer operative time, while open radical cystectomy is typically associated with a shorter operative time but with a longer in-hospital admission and possibly a higher rate of high grade complications.

Prospective study of ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal cryotherapy: case selection as an optimization factor for a technique

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the technical and oncological effectiveness of ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal cryotherapy (PRC) in a selected group of patients with renal cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We conducted a prospective study of 28 patients with posterior-facing T1a renal tumors with middle and inferior external borders. All patients underwent ultrasound-guided PRC. Follow-up was conducted with computed tomography at 1 month and then every 6 months, with a good result defined as the total absence of contrast incorporation. We performed a descriptive and survival study using the Kaplan-Meier estimator.

RESULTS

The 28 patients had a mean age (SD) of 68.3 (10.1) years, and the group underwent 28 procedures. The mean (SD) size of the tumors was 25.5 (7.5) mm, the mean nephrometry score was 1.41 (0.52) and the mean preoperative creatinine level was 133.5 (144.1) mmol/L. There were no intraoperative complications. In terms of postoperative complications, there was only 1 case (3.5%) of a skin lesion resulting from treating a tumor in a transplanted kidney (Clavien II). The median follow-up was 25 months, and the mean (SD) postoperative creatinine level was 135.5 (110.3) mmol/L. Two cases presented radiological recurrence (93% efficacy), with a mean time to recurrence of 12 and 19 months, respectively. There were no tumor-related deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

Our series (the largest on PRC in our country to date) shows that, with an appropriate selection of tumors, PRC is a safe technique with minimal morbidity. Ultrasonography enables the controlled performance of the procedure and saves the patient from radiation and reduces costs.

The Role of Non-Invasive Urodynamics in Bladder Outlet Obstruction Diagnosis in Male Patients

Purpose

Many Methods have been suggested to assess bladder outlet obstruction, as defined by the gold standard of pressure flow studies. A comprehensive review of the literature on the different methods used to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction by non-invasive means was performed in order to compare those methods to invasive urodynamics in terms of sensitivity and specificity.

Materials and Methods

A MEDLINE search was done of the published literature covering from December 2003 on non-invasive methods, including only single measures to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction. We performed a comparison between all methods in terms of sensitivity and specificity for each test. For many techniques these values were calculated directly from the data presented in the article.

Results

There has been applied many methods to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction. Those methods were divided into uroflowmetry condom-catheter method, penile cuff method and Doppler ultrasonography urodynamics. Each method has been described and discussed in terms of its role in adding information to the diagnostic work-up for bladder outlet obstruction.

Conclusions

Pressure flow studies still remain the gold standard for assessing bladder outlet obstruction. However non-invasive urodynamics is a promising branch. Probably the most reliable information is given by the association of numerous methods together.

[Batson's paravertebral venous plexus and single vertebral metastases from renal cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVES

The presence of a single site bone metastasis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a rare clinical event. We report a single case of RCC with solitary vertebral metastasis and review of literature about renal tumor spreading in order to understand the anatomic explanation for this peculiar clinical case.

METHODS

We have considered the single case and reviewed current and past literature to describe the anatomic and functional background of this clinical situation.

RESULTS

There are rare cases of single vertebral metastasis from RCC and these are characterized from a contemporary neoplastic thrombus. The neoplastic thrombus could justify the tumoral back-flow into the paravertebral anasthomoses and so into vertebral venous sinusoids. The rich anasthomotic system that surrounds kidneys and the experimental evidence of anasthomotic links among perirenal Lejars venous system and paravertebral Batson's venous system could explain these clinical evidences.

CONCLUSION

Enrolment of para-vertebral Batson's venous system could have a major role in the RCC vertebral metastatic diffusion.

[The role of non-invasive urodynamics in bladder outlet obstruction diagnosis in male patients]

PURPOSE

Many methods have been suggested to assess bladder outlet obstruction, as defined by the gold standard of pressure flow studies. A comprehensive review of the literature on the different methods used to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction by non-invasive means was performed in order to compare those methods to invasive urodynamics in terms of sensitivity and specificity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A MEDLINE search was done of the published literature covering from December 2003 on non-invasive methods, including only single measures to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction. We performed a comparison between all methods in terms of sensitivity and specificity for each test. For many techniques these values were calculated directly from the data presented in the article.

RESULTS

There has been applied many methods to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction. Those methods were divided into uroflowmetry, condom-catheter method, penile cuff method and Doppler ultrasonography urodynamics. Each method has been described and discussed in terms of its role in adding information to the diagnostic work-up for bladder outlet obstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

Pressure flow studies still remain the gold standard for assessing bladder outlet obstruction. However non-invasive urodynamics is a promising branch. Probably the most reliable information is given by the association of numerous methods together.