Korean J Urol.  2014 Dec;55(12):844-846. 10.4111/kju.2014.55.12.844.

Radiofrequency-Treated Recurrence of Urothelial Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract After Nephroureterectomy

• Molina R
• Alvarez M
• Capilla J
• Paez A

• KMID: 2070101
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4111/kju.2014.55.12.844

Abstract

Local recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) owing to urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract is rare. The usual treatment is systemic chemotherapy followed by optional resection of the mass. We introduce the case of a 73-year-old male patient with multiple comorbidities in whom retroperitoneal carcinoma recurrence of 31 mm was diagnosed via positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose about 5 years after he had undergone RNU owing to urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract. The patient was treated with computed tomography-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation. Later scans with contrast controls showed lack of contrast uptake and a decrease of the lesion's size. Twenty-four months after the procedure, the patient is free of the disease. To date, this is the first case of recurrence of urothelial carcinoma that was treated with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, thus establishing an alternative to chemotherapy in patients with substantial comorbidities.

Keyword

Local neoplasm recurrence; Radiofrequency catheter ablation; Transitional cell carcinoma

MeSH Terms

Aged
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/diagnosis/*surgery
Catheter Ablation/*methods
Humans
Male
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/diagnosis/*surgery
Nephrectomy/methods
Positron-Emission Tomography
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Urologic Neoplasms/diagnosis/*surgery

Figure

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  FIG. 1 Computed tomography scan showing a 31-mm lesion with contrast uptake contiguous to the medial border of the right hepatic lobe (white arrow).

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  FIG. 2 Anatomopathological specimen of percutaneous biopsy, showing high-grade urothelial carcinoma (Giemsa stain, ×100).

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  FIG. 3 Follow-up computed tomography scan performed after the procedure showing no contrast enhancement in the treated lesion.

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