The following is a summary of “Incidental Diagnosis of Renal Pelvic Tumor in Patients Who Underwent Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A Report of 6 Cases and Review of the Literature,” published in the JANUARY 2023 issue of Urology by An, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to describe the clinical characteristics of individuals who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) and later received an unexpected diagnosis of renal pelvic tumor.

Six individuals who received PNL in the clinic between 2011 and 2021 had renal pelvic tumors discovered during or after the procedure, according to a retrospective review of the profiles of about 8,000 patients. These six patients’ clinical information was gathered and compiled.

The subjects of the study were two girls and four males, with a mean age of 59. Following PNL, the three main symptoms were loin discomfort, severe hematuria, and wound infection. Two of the patients had a known lengthy stone history. Five of the six patients had a urinary tract infection, and all of them had either gross or microscopic hematuria. Four patients had severe hydronephrosis and two had moderate hydronephrosis, according to CT scans. Three patients separately experienced staghorn and numerous stones. During PNL, a biopsy revealed that renal pelvic urothelial cancer affected five patients. A postoperative CT scan on one patient revealed a renal pelvic tumor with significant invasion, and the patient was given palliative care. One patient who underwent major surgery and one patient who got endoscopic tumor resection both had long survival times. One patient who underwent renal artery embolization lived for 22 months; the other patient’s tumor grew within three weeks.

In stone patients with a number of risk factors, such as advanced age, a history of many stones, difficult stones, hydronephrosis, particularly pyonephrosis, apparent hematuria, etc., the likelihood of a renal pelvic tumor should be taken into account.

Reference: goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(22)00803-2/fulltext