Radical cystectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy: pathologic, operative and morbidity outcomes in a Brazilian cohort

ABSTRACT Introduction and Objective Radical cystectomy (RC) with pelvic lymph node dissection is the standard treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer and the oncologic outcomes following it are directly related to disease pathology and surgical technique. Therefore, we sought to analyze these features in a cohort from a Brazilian tertiary oncologic center and try to identify those who could negatively impact on the disease control. Patients and Methods We identified 128 patients submitted to radical cystectomy, for bladder cancer treatment, from January 2009 to July 2012 in one oncology tertiary referral public center (Mario Penna Institute, Belo Horizonte, Brazil). We retrospectively analyzed the findings obtained from their pathologic report and assessed the complications within 30 days of surgery. Results We showed similar pathologic and surgical findings compared to other large series from the literature, however our patients presented with a slightly higher rate of pT4 disease. Positive surgical margins were found in 2/128 patients (1.5%). The medium number of lymph nodes dissected were 15. Major complications (Clavien 3 to 5) within 30 days of cystectomy occurred in 33/128 (25.7%) patients. Conclusions In the management of invasive bladder cancer, efforts should focus on proper disease diagnosis and staging, and, thereafter, correct treatment based on pathologic findings. Furthermore, extended LND should be performed in all patients with RC indication. A critical analysis of our complications in a future study will help us to identify and modify some of the factors associated with surgical morbidity.

Polaciúria incapacitante para a vida usual. Relato de tuberculose da bexiga. A tuberculose permanece no rol do diagnóstico diferencial da maioria das doenças / Incapacitating pollakiuria affecting daily life. A case report of tuberculosis of the bladder. Tuberculosis remains on the list of the differential diagnoses for most diseases

A tuberculose (TB) é dos mais graves problemas de saúde humano e associa-se a pobreza, incipiência do sistema de saúde, deficiência de gestão que dificulta a diminuição de doenças de determinismo social, epidemia do vírus da imunodeficiência humana e imunodeficiência adquirida e multirresistência do M. tuberculosis. O acometimento extrapulmonar ocorre em 15% dos casos de TB e pode evoluir com amesma sintomatologia geral do acometimento pulmonar, com variações na dependência de sua localização e gravidade. Este relato apresenta paciente com hematúria e polaciúria incapacitante para a vida social, associada inicialmente à neoplasia, e determinada pela TB geniturinária, com diagnóstico após histopatologia de espécime clínico obtido da bexiga, em que o tempo longo para o diagnóstico foi determinante para grave sequela. Objetiva alertar para a TB como doença permanente no Brasil ea necessidade de ser considerada sempre como diagnóstico diferencial de doenças pulmonares ou extrapulmonares.

Tuberculosis (TB) is among the most serious human health concerns and is associated with poverty, limited availability of health care services and bad management, all of which negatively affect the possibility of reducing socially-determined diseases, such as HIV/AIDS epidemics and multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis. Extrapulmonary involvement occurs in 15% of TB cases and can develop with the same overall symptomatology of exclusively pulmonary involvement, with smaller variations depending on location and severity. This report presents a patient with hematuria and pollakiuria with incapacitating effects on social life, initially thought of as a malignancy and later identified as genitourinary TB. Diagnosis was based on histopathology of clinical specimens from the bladder. Time elapsed between onset and diagnosis led to considerable sequelae. This report aims at raising awareness of TB as a permanent concern in Brazil and of the need to always considered it as a differential diagnosis of pulmonary or extrapulmonary disease.

Cutaneous ureterostomy with definitive ureteral stent as urinary diversion option in unfit patients after radical cystectomy / Ureterostomia cutânea como opção de derivação urinária em pacientes em condições clínicas após cistectomia radical

PURPOSE: Simple diversions are underutilized, mostly for unfit, bedridden, and very self-limited patients requiring palliative surgical management due to life-threatening conditions. Experience with cutaneous ureterostomy (CU) as palliative urinary diversion option for unfit bladder cancer patients is reported. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical and operative parameters of 41 patients who underwent CU following RC in three specialized Cancer Centers from July/2005 to July/2010. Muscle-invasive disease (clinical Stage T2/worse), multifocal high-grade tumor, and carcinoma in situ refractory to intravesical immunotherapy were the main indications for RC. Double-J ureteral stents were used in all patients and replaced every 6 months indefinitly. Peri-operative morbidity and mortality were evaluated. RESULTS: Median age was 69 years (interquartile range - IQR 62, 76); 30 (73%) patients were men. Surgery in urgency setting was performed in 25 (61%) of patients, most due to severe bleeding associated with hemodynamic instability; 14 patients (34%) showed an American Society of Anesthesiologists score 4. Median operative time was 180 minutes (IQR 120, 180). Peri-operative complications occurred in 30 (73%) patients, most Clavien grade I and II (66.6 %). There was no per-operative death. Re-intervention was necessary in 7 (17%) patients. Overall survival was 24% after 9.4 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: CU with definitive ureteral stenting represents a simplified alternative for urinary diversion after palliative cystectomy in unfit patients. It can be performed quickly, with few early and late postoperative complications allowing RC in a group of patients otherwise limited to suboptimal alternatives. Future studies regarding the quality of life are warranted.

OBJETIVO: Relatar a experiência do emprego da ureterostomia cutânea (UC) como forma de derivação urinária definitiva em pacientes portadores de neoplasia vesical avançada, em más condições clínicas e que necessitam de tratamento paliativo. MÉTODOS: Foram analisados retrospectivamente os parâmetros clínicos e operatórios de 41 pacientes submetidos a cistectomia radical e UC em três centros oncológicos especializados. A UC foi a derivação urinária escolhida quando os pacientes não apresentavam condições clínicas de serem submetidos a outro tipo de derivação . Foram avaliados a morbidade peri-operatória e a sobrevida global. RESULTADOS: A idade média dos pacientes foi de 69 anos (intervalo interquartil - IQR 62, 76); 30 (73%) pacientes eram do sexo masculino. Vinte e cinco pacientes (61%) foram submetidos a cirurgia de urgência sendo a maioria devido a hemorragia grave associada a instabilidade hemodinâmica. O tempo cirúrgico médio foi de 180 minutos (IQR 120, 180). As complicações peri-operatórias ocorreram em 30 (73%) pacientes sendo a maioria classificadas como "Clavien" graus I e II (66,6%). Não houve óbito per-operatório. A reabordagem cirúrgica foi necessária em 7 (17%) dos pacientes e a sobrevida global foi de 24% após 9,4 meses de seguimento. CONCLUSÕES: A UC com implante de "stent" ureteral é uma alternativa simples de derivação urinária, após cistectomia paliativa, em pacientes sem condições clínicas de serem submetidos a procedimentos cirúrgicos mais complexos. A UC é um procedimento rápido e apresenta taxas de complicações aceitáveis. Essa alternativa cirúrgica permite melhorar a qualidade de vida dos pacientes portadores de tumores vesicais localmente avançados.