ABSTRACT
Introduction: Renal mucormycosis has been documented to occur even in apparently immunocompetent individuals. Owing to the rarity of this disease, literature on its management is small. We present our experience of diagnosing and managing 11 cases of primary renal mucormycosis who presented during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Methods: We reviewed the records of all patients presenting to our institute with a diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis from March 2021 to September 2021. All patients with a radiological, microbiological, or histopathological diagnosis of renal mucormycosis were included in the analysis and all demographic and clinical details, including a history of COVID-19 disease and its treatment, were noted. All patients were treated by a combination of intravenous antifungal therapy and aggressive surgical debridement including nephrectomy and multivisceral resection as required. Predictors of mortality were evaluated by statistical analysis. Results: A total of 93 patients presented to our hospital with features of acute pyelonephritis of which 11 patients were suspected to have primary renal mucormycosis based on characteristic imaging features and confirmed on microbiological and histopathological examination. Of these, four patients had a history of COVID-19 infection. Only one patient had diabetes mellitus. Ten patients underwent nephrectomy and seven needed resections of surrounding organs. The colon was the most commonly involved organ. Five patients (45.5%) died of progressive sepsis. None of the predictors of mortality that were analyzed showed statistical significance. Conclusion: A high index of suspicion, early cross-sectional imaging, prompt institution of antifungal therapy, and aggressive surgical extirpation are very important for achieving good outcomes in patients of primary renal mucormycosis.
ABSTRACT
Mucormycosis is a rare infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. The infection frequently involves the rhino-cerebral or respiratory system and involvement of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and kidney are rare. It usually infects immunocompromised individuals due to various causes and an upsurge is hypothesized to be linked with irrational use of steroids during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We encountered a rare case of systemic mucormycosis that involved both renal as well as mesenteric vessels and led to ischemia of both vital organs. The patient developed massive bowel gangrene involving the duodenum, proximal jejunum, and left kidney due to angioinvasive mucormycosis. The diagnosis of GI mucormycosis may further increase during the current pandemic. The physicians, as well as surgeons, should be aware of this unwanted complication and keep a high index of suspicion for this rare disease.
ABSTRACT
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 3% of all adult cancers and 85% of all kidney tumours. Incidence of RCC is lower in Asian region, particularly in India, probably due to lack of reporting. Most of the data about RCC are from Western countries; and data from India are scarce, especially regarding para-neoplastic syndromes. We sought to determine the epidemiology, clinicopathological profile and management of RCC in a tertiary care centre in Western India. This was a retrospective study that involved data analysis of records of RCC patients who presented to our institution from April 2016 to February 2020. Laboratory investigations, including tests for paraneoplastic syndrome (PNS), and relevant radiologic investigations were performed and treatment was offered according to the stage, patient factors and available modalities. A total 142 RCC patients were included in the study. The median age of presentation was 58 years. Most of the patients (67%) were symptomatic, and 33% of the patients were asymptomatic, and the RCC was diagnosed incidentally. A large number of patients (56.3%) had PNS. The most common histopathologic type of RCC was clear cell carcinoma (68.8%), followed by papillary (20%) and chromophobe (8%) carcinoma. 40% of carcinomas with sarcomatoid differentiation were seen in patients under 50 years of age. Two cases of multicystic RCC were both seen in patients less than 50 years of age. 65.5% of the patients presented at Stage 1 and 2. Most surgeries (71.2%) were done in a minimally invasive manner. A significant number of patients were asymptomatic, in which RCC was detected incidentally. The age of presentation was earlier, yet the patients had a higher tumour stage. More than half of the patients had PNSs. Despite growing trend towards Western data, the significantly higher number of patients with PNSs and early age of presentation suggest inherent differences in tumour biology, possibly related to differences in genetic and environmental factors.
