RESUMEN
Background: Acupuncture has been widely studied, and theories regarding its analgesic mechanism of action have been proposed. It has been used for procedural analgesia; however, no reports of its use in urologic surgery have been reported. In this case report, we demonstrate how acupuncture can be used as an alternative to general anesthesia for transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). This may serve as an attractive option for bladder cancer patients with medical comorbidities, which predispose them to high risk for general anesthesia. Case Presentation: A 65-year-old Caucasian female with toxicant-induced loss of tolerance (TILT) was found to have a bladder mass. TURBT was discussed, and in light of her TILT syndrome, she elected to undergo the procedure with acupuncture in lieu of general anesthesia for fear of an adverse reaction. Acupuncture was performed by a trained practitioner with therapeutic needles placed in the ears, hands, abdomen, and lower extremities bilaterally. She was subsequently taken to the operating room where we performed a TURBT of a bladder tumor overlying the left ureteral orifice. The procedure was generally well tolerated and the patient experienced mild pain. There were no perioperative complications. The tumor was estimated to be 3 cm in largest diameter, and a total of 8 g of aggregate tissue was sent to our pathologists. Pathology analysis demonstrated adequate resection with detrusor muscle present in the sample. The bladder tumor was low-grade papillary urothelial cell carcinoma (Stage Ta). She has had tumor recurrence and has undergone repeat TURBT, but to date, she is 22 months free of bladder cancer. Conclusion: In this case report, we demonstrate that acupuncture is a safe and effective alternative to general anesthesia for patients undergoing TURBT. Since tobacco use is prevalent among bladder cancer patients, many of these individuals have associated medical comorbidities, which predispose them to high risk with general anesthesia. Therefore, acupuncture may serve as an attractive alternative for certain patients in this population.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Sunitinib might optimize the feasibility of partial nephrectomy (PN) for complex renal tumors with imperative indications. We compared the renal functional outcomes of patients with complex renal masses who had undergone sunitinib before PN with those of patients who had not required neoadjuvant sunitinib before PN. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients with renal cell carcinoma who had undergone PN for a complex renal mass (R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score, 10-12) and imperative indications from January 2012 to July 2014. Neoadjuvant sunitinib was used in cases for which PN was not considered feasible. The cohort was divided into those patients who had undergone PN without neoadjuvant sunitinib and those who had undergone PN after sunitinib (no-neoadjuvant vs. neoadjuvant). The change in tumor size and R.E.N.A.L. score were assessed. The primary outcome was the change in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (ΔeGFR) from preoperatively to the last postoperative follow-up visit. RESULTS: The data from 125 consecutive patients were analyzed (47 neoadjuvant and 78 no-neoadjuvant; median follow-up, 21 months). The neoadjuvant plus PN patients had had a greater median tumor size preoperatively (7.2 vs. 6 cm; P = .045). Sunitinib caused a significant decrease in the median tumor size (from 7.2 to 5.8 cm [19.4%]; P = .012) and R.E.N.A.L. score (from 11 to 9; P = .001). No significant differences were found between the neoadjuvant and no-neoadjuvant groups in the ischemia time (P = .413) or incidence of complications (P = .728). The median ΔeGFR was similar (neoadjuvant, 6.4; no-neoadjuvant, 6.1; P = .534). Linear regression analysis for factors associated with an increasing ΔeGFR demonstrated increasing age (estimate, -0.074; P = .009) increasing body mass index (estimate, -0.087; P = .043), and decreasing baseline eGFR (estimate, -0.104; P = .02) as significant factors. CONCLUSION: The use of neoadjuvant sunitinib might facilitate complex PN and result in renal functional outcomes similar to those of patients with a complex renal mass who had not required neoadjuvant sunitinib.
