Clinical and pathological study on 47 cases of renal pelvic and ureteral tumors

47 cases including 24 renal pelvic tumors, 20 ureteral tumors and 3 renal pelvic and ureteral tumors treated in our hospital from January, 1980 to December, 1987, were studied clinico-histopathologically. The patients ranged in age from 38 to 81 years (average 65 years) the sex ratio was 3:1 with male predominance over female. Tumor occurred on the right side in 19 cases, on the left side in 27 cases and bilaterally in 1 case. The most frequent sign was hematuria which was observed in 40 cases (85%). The interval from the onset of initial symptoms to the first visit was within one month in 9 cases (19.1%). The major findings of excretory urograms were filling defect in 21 cases (47.1%) and non-visualizing kidney in 15 cases (33.8%). Positive urinary cytology was obtained in 21 cases (44.7%). Operative therapy as performed in 45 cases, namely, nephroureterectomy and partial cystectomy in 30 cases (66.7%) and nephroureterectomy in 9 cases (20%). Histopathologically, all cases but two cases of squamous cell carcinoma and to cases of mixed type carcinoma are transitional cell carcinoma. Subsequent bladder tumors were found in 8 cases (17.7%). The overall survival rate at 1, 3 and 5 years were 80.2%, 41.1% and 41.1%, respectively by Kaplan-Meier method. In this series, the interval from the onset of initial symptoms, the grade and stage of tumor and metastasis of lymph nodes were to be considered in developing prognosis.