Objectives: To report our experience with hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (HALNU) to treat upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). In addition, we report the treatment of 4 patients with upper urinary tract TCC and synchronous superficial urinary bladder TCC by HALNU and simultaneous transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT).
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 33 patients who had undergone HALNU. Recovery was evaluated according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status. Four patients had concomitant superficial urinary bladder cancer and underwent simultaneous TURBT at the beginning of surgery. We compared our data with those of our open surgery group and previously published data.
Results: Partial recovery had occurred by 1 week and complete recovery by 4 weeks postoperatively. Conversion to open surgery was required in 2 (6%) of the 33 patients. The complication rate was 24% (8 of 33) without any mortality. The recurrence rate of urinary bladder TCC was 6% (2 of 33). Both patients with recurrent tumor were treated successfully by TURBT and bacille Calmette-Guérin instillation. All 4 patients with synchronous superficial urinary bladder TCC had undergone simultaneous transurethral resection of bladder tumor, and all 4 were disease free at the last follow-up visit.
Conclusions: Hand-assisted procedures are appropriate for surgeons with limited experience with laparoscopic surgery. In our study, the convalescence of patients was excellent, and the postoperative results were compatible with those of previous studies. To treat upper urinary tract TCC with synchronous urinary bladder TCC, HALNU and TURBT together seems to be a safe and efficient technique.