A Case of Analgesic Nephropathy Complicated by Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Ureter / 대한신장학회잡지

ABSTRACT

Following a report by Hultengren et al. (Acta Chir Scand, 1965), it has been suggested that analgesic abuse predisposes to urothelial neoplasia. Urinary tract malignancy is combined in 8-10% of patients with analgesic nephropathy. Microscopic or gross hematuria can be the first sign leading to the diagnosis of uroepithelial malignanacy in analgesic abusers. Since uroepithelial malignancies found in analgesic abusers tend to be multiple and have a worse prognosis, continued monitoring is essential, and new hematuria should be evaluated with urinary cytology, and cystoscopy with reterograde pyelography. Phenacetin found to be the chief cause of malignancies in analgesic abusers, it has been anticipated to be a human carcinogen and was banned as an OTC drug since 1987. But still there remains a debate whether acetaminophen and other compound analgesic components are carcinogenic. We report the case of a 58-year-old man with a history of analgesic abuse who was diagnosed with transitional cell carcinoma combined with analgesic nephropathy. We also review the literature.