ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIM: Large or bilateral multiple renal cell carcinoma (RCC) without/with tumor thrombus (TT) in the renal vein (RV) or inferior vena cava (IVC) poses a challenge to the surgeon due to the potential for massive hemorrhage, tumor thromboemboli and dialysis, and the situation is more critical due to Covid-19 pandemic. We report our experience and measures in dealing with challenging cases of large or multiple RCCs without/with TT during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 4/2020-10/2020, five patients underwent RCC resection with/without TT. Patients 1 and 2 had RCCs/TT in RV; Patient 3 had RCC/TT supradiaphragmatic below right atrium; Patient-4 had a 26 cm RCC; Patient-5 had multiple RCCS as part of Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome. RESULTS: Patients were preoperatively tested negative for Covid-19. Operation times were 105, 85, 255, 200 and 247 minutes for Patients 1-5. Estimated blood loss was: 100, 50, 3,900,100 and 50 ml, respectively. Patient 3 underwent RCC resection en bloc with IVC/TT. Patients 1 and 2 underwent resections of RCC/TT in RV. Patient 4 underwent a 26 cm RCC resection. Patient 5 underwent laparoscopic bilateral radical nephrectomies. No immediate postoperative complications were reported. CONCLUSION: We successfully managed 5 challenging cases of RCCs despite the recommendations imposed by hospitals due to Covid-19 pandemic, with favorable outcomes.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/complications , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/diagnosis , Kidney Neoplasms/complications , Kidney Neoplasms/diagnosis , SARS-CoV-2 , Thrombosis/diagnosis , Thrombosis/etiology , Aged , Biopsy , COVID-19/virology , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/surgery , Humans , Kidney Neoplasms/surgery , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplastic Cells, Circulating , Nephrectomy , Renal Veins/pathology , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Treatment OutcomeSubject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/complications , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Kidney Neoplasms/complications , Aged , COVID-19/complications , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/therapy , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/diagnosis , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/therapy , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Kidney Neoplasms/diagnosis , Kidney Neoplasms/pathology , Kidney Neoplasms/therapy , Male , Middle Aged , Mortality , Neoplasm Staging , Registries/statistics & numerical data , Russia , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
Preliminary data suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with higher mortality among cancer patients, particularly in those on systemic therapy. It is unclear whether this applies to patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). In this case series, 74 patients from a single institution with genitourinary (GU) cancer on ICI were followed up during a 12-wk period. During this period, 11 patients (15%) developed symptoms consistent with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and four (5%) tested positive. Two patients had metastatic urothelial cancer (treated with atezolizumab) and two had metastatic renal cancer (treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab). All had additional risk factors associated with COVID-19 mortality and two received steroids within 1 mo of infection. Two patients developed symptoms requiring hospitalisation. All four are alive 32-45 d after their first symptoms and 28-38 d after testing positive. These patients all had multiple risk factors associated with severe COVID-19. These data suggest that the higher risk of COVID-19 death associated with systemic therapy in cancer may not apply to patients on ICIs. Assessment of COVID-19 severity in these patients can be complicated by the underlying cancer and its treatment.