[Clinical studies of the patients with primary renal pelvis cancer]

Sixteen patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis seen at our Hospital between December 1973 and February 1984 were reviewed and the diagnostic tools were evaluated. The patients (11 males, 5 females) ranged in age from 35 to 81 years (mean 63.8). Ten tumors were found on the left side and 6 on the right side. The most frequent symptom was macrohematuria (93.8%). Total nephroureterectomy including the cuff was performed in 11 cases, simple nephrectomy in 2 cases and partial nephrectomy in one case. Lymphadenectomy was performed in 4 cases. According to the general rules for clinical and pathological studies on bladder cancer in Japan, 5 cases were classified grade 1, 6 cases as grade 2 and 3 cases as grade 3. According to Cummings' staging, 2 cases were in stage 1, 4 in stage II, 7 in stage III and 3 in stage IV. The cumulative survival rate at 5 years was 34.1% by Kaplan-Meier's method. The diagnostic tool contributing to the confirmation of the renal pelvic cancer was the retrograde pyelogram in 12 out of 15 patients (80.0%).