Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: a case report

Plasmacytoid bladder cancer is a rare variant of transitional cell carcinoma. A 57-year-old man was referred to our institution for management of invasive transitional cell carcinoma diagnosed at a peripheral hospital. His complaints were of vague lower abdominal pain with associated urgency and frequency requiring oxybutynin. Metastatic workup was negative and was subsequently scheduled for a radical cystectomy. Routine colonoscopy 3 weeks prior to surgery was negative. Intraoperatively, he was found to have metastatic urothelial cancer involving the cecum and multiple metastatic deposits within the mesentery of the small intestines. He underwent a palliative cystectomy with ileal conduit formation. Final pathology revealed metastatic plasmacytoid variant of urothelial cancer. Histology and immunohistochemistry were compatible with plasmacytoid variant of urothelial cancer. Here we present our case of this rare variant of urothelial cancer with a review of its characteristics

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for residual masses after chemotherapy in nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumor

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection has been advocated for the management of post-chemotherapy (PC-RPLND) residual masses of non-seminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis (NSGCT). There remains some debate as to the clinical benefit and associated morbidity. Our objective was to report our experience with PC-RPLND in NSGCT.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have reviewed the clinical, pathologic and surgical parameters associated with PC-RPLND in a single institution. Between 1994 and 2008, three surgeons operated 73 patients with residual masses after cisplatin-based chemotherapy for a metastatic testicular cancer. Patients needed to have normal postchemotherapy serum tumor markers, no prior surgical attempts to resect retroperitoneal masses and resectable retroperitoneal tumor mass at surgery to be included in this analysis</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean age was 30.4 years old. Fifty-three percent had mixed germ cell tumors. The mean size of retroperitoneal metastasis was 6.3 and 4.0 cm, before and post-chemotherapy, respectively. In 56% of patients, the surgeon was able to perform a nerve sparing procedure. The overall complication rate was 27.4% and no patient died due to surgical complications. The pathologic review showed presence of fibrosis/necrosis, teratoma and viable tumor (non-teratoma) in 27 (37.0%), 30 (41.1%) and 16 (21.9%) patients, respectively. The subgroups presenting fibrosis and large tumors were more likely to have a surgical complication and had less nerve sparing procedures.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PC-RPLND is a relatively safe procedure. The presence of fibrosis and large residual masses are associated with surgical complications and non-nerve-sparing procedure.</p

Radical nephroureterectomy for pathologic T4 upper tract urothelial cancer: can oncologic outcomes be improved with multimodality therapy?

Purpose To report the outcomes of patients with pathologic T4 UTUC and investigate the potential impact of peri-operative chemotherapy combined with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and regional lymph node dissection (LND) on oncologic outcomes. Materials and Methods Patients with pathologic T4 UTUC were identified from the cohort of 1464 patients treated with RNU at 13 academic centers between 1987 and 2007. Oncologic outcomes were stratified according to utilization of perioperative systemic chemotherapy and regional LND as an adjunct to RNU. Results The study included 69 patients, 42 males (61%) with median age 73 (range 43-98). Median follow-up was 17 months (range: 6-88). Lymphovascular invasion was found in 47 (68%) and regional lymph node metastases were found in 31 (45%). Peri-operative chemotherapy was utilized in 29 (42%) patients. Patients treated with peri-operative chemotherapy and RNU with LND demonstrated superior oncologic outcomes compared to those not treated by chemotherapy and/or LND during RNU (3Y-DFS: 35% vs. 10%; P = 0.02 and 3Y-CSS: 28% vs. 14%; P = 0.08). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, administration of peri-operative chemotherapy and utilization of LND during RNU was associated with lower probability of recurrence (HR: 0.4, P = 0.01), and cancer specific mortality (HR: 0.5, P = 0.06). Conclusions Pathological T4 UTUC is associated with poor prognosis. Peri-operative chemotherapy combined with aggressive surgery, including lymph node dissection, may improve oncological outcomes. Our findings support the use of aggressive multimodal treatment in patients with advanced UTUC

Concomitant Carcinoma in situ in Cystectomy Specimens Is Not Associated with Clinical Outcomes after Surgery

Objective: The aim of this study was to externally validate the prognostic value of concomitant urothelial carcinoma in situ (CIS) in radical cystectomy (RC) specimens using a large international cohort of bladder cancer patients. Methods: The records of 3,973 patients treated with RC and bilateral lymphadenectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) at nine centers worldwide were reviewed. Surgical specimens were evaluated by a genitourinary pathologist at each center. Uni- and multivariable Cox regression models addressed time to recurrence and cancer-specific mortality after RC. Results: 1,741 (43.8%) patients had concomitant CIS in their RC specimens. Concomitant CIS was more common in organ-confined UCB and was associated with lymphovascular invasion (p < 0.001). Concomitant CIS was not associated with either disease recurrence or cancer-specific death regardless of pathologic stage. The presence of concomitant CIS did not improve the predictive accuracy of standard predictors for either disease recurrence or cancer-specific death in any of the subgroups. Conclusions: We could not confirm the prognostic value of concomitant CIS in RC specimens. This, together with the discrepancy between pathologists in determining the presence of concomitant CIS at the morphologic level, limits the clinical utility of concomitant CIS in RC specimens for clinical decision-making. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

The Impact of Previous Ureteroscopic Tumor Ablation on Oncologic Outcomes After Radical Nephrouretectomy for Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

We investigated whether a history of endoscopic tumor ablation impacts oncologic outcomes after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Using a multi-institutional database that contained patients who were treated with RNU, oncologic outcomes were assessed according to history of ureteroscopic tumor ablation. Disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine independent predictors of disease recurrence and cancer-specific mortality after RNU. The study included 1268 patients, 853 men and 415 women, with a mean age of 67.5 years (range 32-94 y) and 52.8 months median follow-up after RNU. A total of 175 (13%) patients underwent RNU after endoscopic tumor ablation and 1093 (87%) patients underwent RNU without a history of endoscopic ablation. The 5-year DFS and CSS rates were 72% and 77% in those with a history of tumor ablation vs 69% and 73% in those without a history of ablation (P = 0.171 and P = 0.365, respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, history of ablation therapy was not associated with disease recurrence or cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.79, P = 0.185 and HR: 0.7, P = 0.078, respectively). Our collaborative international efforts suggest that in selected patients, endoscopic tumor ablation does not adversely affect the recurrence and survival after subsequent RNU for UTUC. Our data support the continued role of ureteroscopic ablation of UTUC in appropriately selected patients.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90497/1/end-2E2010-2E0396.pd

Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma with loco‐regional nodal metastases: insights from the Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Collaboration

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86906/1/j.1464-410X.2011.10075.x.pd

Advanced patient age is associated with inferior cancer-specific survival after radical nephroureterectomy

Study Type – Prognosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4To assess the impact of patient age on outcomes after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).Data were collected on 1453 patients treated with RNU at 13 centres. Pathological slides were reviewed by dedicated genitourinary pathologists according to standardized criteria. Age at RNU was analysed both as a continuous and categorical variable (70 years were less likely to undergo lymphadenectomy and to receive adjuvant chemotherapy ( P  ≤ 0.026). In multivariable analyses, being older was associated with decreased all-cause (AC) survival (>60 years) and cancer-specific survival (CSS; >80 years) after controlling for the effects of standard pathological features ( P  ≤ 0.006). However, addition of age did not improve the predictive accuracy of a base model that included standard pathological features for prediction of either disease recurrence, AC survival or CSS.Being older at the time of RNU was associated with decreased survival. This finding could be due to a change in the biological potential of the tumour cell, a decrease in the host’s defence mechanisms, or differences in care patterns. Further work is needed to improve our understanding of UTUC outcomes in this growing segment of the population and to develop strategies to improve cancer control in the elderly.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78588/1/j.1464-410X.2009.09072.x.pd

Incidence, Characteristics and Implications of Thromboembolic Events in Patients with Muscle Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Purpose: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and pelvic surgery are significant risk factors for thromboembolic events. Our study objectives were to investigate the timing, incidence and characteristics of thromboembolic events during and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and subsequent radical cystectomy in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: We performed a multi-institutional retrospective analysis of 761 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy for muscle invasive bladder cancer from 2002 to 2014. Median followup from diagnosis was 21.4 months (range 3 to 272). Patient characteristics included the Khorana score, and the incidence and timing of thromboembolic events (before vs after radical cystectomy). Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The log rank test and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression were used to compare survival between patients with vs without thromboembolic events. Results: The Khorana score indicated an intermediate thromboembolic event risk in 88% of patients. The overall incidence of thromboembolic events in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 14% with a wide variation of 5% to 32% among institutions. Patients with thromboembolic events were older (67.6 vs 64.6 years, p = 0.02) and received a longer neoadjuvant chemotherapy course (10.9 vs 9.7 weeks, p = 0.01) compared to patients without a thromboembolic event. Of the thromboembolic events 58% developed preoperatively and 72% were symptomatic. On multivariable regression analysis the development of a thromboembolic event was not significantly associated with decreased overall survival. However, pathological stage and a high Khorana score were adverse risk factors for overall survival. Conclusions: Thromboembolic events are common in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer who undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy before and after radical cystectomy. Our results suggest that a prospective trial of thromboembolic event prophylaxis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy is warranted.Peer reviewe

Enumerating pelvic recurrence following radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: A canadian multi-institutional study

Introduction: We aimed to enumerate the rate of pelvic recurrence following radical cystectomy at university-affiliated hospitals in Canada. Methods: Canadian, university-affiliated hospitals were invited to participate. They were asked to identify the first 10 consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy starting January 1, 2005, who had urothelial carcinoma stages pT3/T4 N0-2 M0. The first 10 consecutive cases starting January 1, 2005 who met these criteria were the patients submitted by that institution with information regarding tumour stage, age, number of nodes removed, and last known clinical status in regard to recurrence and patterns of failure. Results: Of the 111 patients, 80% had pT3 and 20% pT4 disease, with 62% being node-negative, 14% pN1, and 27% pN2; 57% had 10 or more nodes removed. Cumulative incidence of pelvic relapse was 40% among the entire group Conclusions: This review demonstrates a high rate of pelvic tumour recurrence following radical cystectomy for pT3/T4 urothelial cancer