THURSDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter, fewer than 10 percent survive five years following surgery, according to a report published in the July issue of the Journal of Urology.
Sten Holmang, M.D., of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden, and colleagues reviewed histopathological and clinical records for 65 patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 743 patients with urothelial carcinoma, all of whom were entered in the Swedish Cancer Registry between 1971 and 1998.
Five percent of squamous cell carcinoma patients were asymptomatic, compared with 14 percent of urothelial carcinomas. Median survival was seven months after surgery for squamous cell carcinoma, with a 7.7 percent five-year survival, compared to 50 months (and 41 percent five-year survival) for urothelial carcinoma.
Only 4 percent of squamous cell carcinomas were below stage pT3, compared to 62 percent of urothelial carcinomas. Tumor size was also larger with squamous cell carcinoma (50 mm versus 35 mm).
"New treatment modalities [for both tumor types] are urgently needed," the authors conclude.
Abstract
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