Lymphography in the evaluation of urinary bladder carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Urologic Oncology
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Accurate staging of bladder carcinoma is crucial for effective treatment planning.
• Lymph node involvement significantly impacts prognosis in bladder cancer patients.
• Evaluating the utility of lymphography in assessing lymph node status for bladder cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To correlate lymphographic findings with clinical, histological staging, and pre-operative grading in bladder carcinoma.
• To assess the diagnostic accuracy of lymphography by comparing its results with intraoperative findings and pathological examination of lymph nodes.
• To determine the effectiveness of lymphography in identifying lymph node metastasis in different stages of bladder cancer.

Main Methods:

• Lymphography was performed on 41 patients diagnosed with bladder carcinoma.
• Lymphographic findings were correlated with clinical and histological staging, and pre-operative grading.
• In 27 operated patients, lymphography results were compared with intraoperative observations and post-operative pathological lymph node examination.

Main Results:

• The overall diagnostic accuracy of lymphography was determined to be 77.7%.
• Two cases of false positive and one case of false negative lymphography were recorded.
• Lymphography demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy in patients with advanced tumor stages (T3 or T4).

Conclusions:

• Lymphography is a valuable tool for assessing lymph node status in bladder carcinoma, achieving a high diagnostic accuracy.
• The diagnostic performance of lymphography is particularly reliable in identifying nodal involvement in advanced stages (T3/T4) of bladder cancer.
• Lymphography findings can aid in surgical planning and contribute to more precise staging of bladder carcinoma.