The percutaneous treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial tumours

Summary This paper reports the management of eight upper urinary tract (UUT) transitional cell tumours (TCC) treated by percutaneous endoscopic resection (n=7) or laser coagulation. Two patients with small, solitary-low-grade TCC and negative urine cytology are free of recurrence after 2 years. Of the remainder, two died of TCC, two proceeded to nephroureterectomy for highgrade or recurrent invasive tumors, one underwent a second percutaneous resection of a recurrent superficial TCC and one was lost to follow-up. The patient who died from high-grade invasive TCC had tumour protruding from the nephrostomy track. We feel that percutaneous surgery has a very limited place in the management of UUT TCC and should be reserved for palliation of proven solitary, low-grade superficial tumours with negative cytology in patients requiring conservative treatment.