[The current diagnosis of tumors of the upper urinary tract]

The treatment results and survivorship of patients with upper urinary tract tumors (UUTT) are largely dependent on the early diagnosis of the lesions. Twenty-eight patients presenting UUTT are studied and treated in the Clinic of Urology over the period 1987 through 1995. The diagnostic protocol includes both standard radiographic and cytological techniques, and endoscopic methods allowing for visualization and histopathological characterization of the neoplasm. The diagnostic relevance of the various methods and their efficacy are assayed, with emphasis on the necessity of their use in the differential diagnosis. The diagnostic approach described contributes to mace precise early diagnosis with preoperative determination of the degree of tumor differentiation which has an essential practical bearing on the choice of operative procedure and prognosis of the disease.