Therapeutic embolization is defined as the voluntary occlusion of one or several vessels, and this is achieved by inserting material into the lumen to obtain transient or permanent thrombosis in the downstream vascular bed. There are a number of indications for this approach in urological practice, in particular for the patients with parenchymatous or vascular kidney disease. In this review, we present the different embolization techniques and the principally employed occluding agents, and then we present the principal clinical indications and we discuss other pathologies that may benefit from this non-invasive therapy. The complications, side effects and main precautions associated with this approach are also described.
Adenocarcinoma/*therapy ; Aneurysm/therapy ; Angiomyolipoma/*therapy ; Embolization, Therapeutic/*methods ; Humans ; Kidney/injuries ; Kidney Diseases/*therapy ; Kidney Neoplasms/*therapy

PURPOSE: Cryoablation is gaining acceptance as a primary treatment of localized metastatic urologic malignancies as well as a salvage therapy. Anecdotal clinical reports suggest that cryoablation can induce a systemic antitumor immune response, which has been confirmed in animal models also. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of the relevant literature was performed to suggest urologic applications of cryo-immunology. RESULTS: This article reviews the existing evidence regarding cryo-immunology and discusses the mechanisms for generation of an anti-tumor immune response. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest combining cryoablation with other immunotherapeutic approaches to devise a cryo-immunotherapeutic strategy with potential to impact the progression of metastatic disease.
Cryosurgery ; Immunotherapy ; Kidney Neoplasms ; Models, Animal ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Salvage Therapy

Bone is a common metastatic site of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with about 30% of metastatic RCC patients are suffering from bone metastasis. More than 70% of RCC patients with bone metastasis may experience skeletal related events (SREs), which may severely impair patients' quality of life and even shorten their survival time. Therefore, SREs prevention has become one of the treatment objectives of RCC bone metastasis. Bone-modifying agents are the basic treatment of bone metastases in addition to anti-tumor therapy. The treatment of RCC bone metastasis also requires multi-disciplinary team and individualized comprehensive treatment strategies. To standardize the diagnosis and treatment of RCC bone metastasis in China, the expert group of Genitourinary Oncology Committee, Chinese Anti-cancer Association has formulated the expert consensus for the reference of clinical practice, to improve the general therapeutic level of RCC with bone metastasis and benefit more patients.
Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/drug therapy* ; Consensus ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; Quality of Life

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the experience of flexible ureteroscopic holmium laser resection in treatment of renal pelvic carcinoma and to evaluate its value in treatment of renal pelvic carcinoma. METHODS: The clinical data of 6 patients with renal pelvic carcinoma treated in Peking University Third Hospital from January 2015 to January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The 6 patients were treated by the same experienced urologist and by flexible ureteroscopic holmium laser resection of renal pelvic tumors under general anesthesia. Regarding the intensity of the holmium laser, 10-30 W was generally used with settings of 0.5-1.5 J and 10-20 Hz. In general, a 200 μm end-firing holmium laser fiber was used. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) technique was applicated to search for tumors and check whether the excision was satisfactory. Routine "second flexible ureteroscopy" was performed after 4-6 weeks, and suspected lesions were referred for a biopy, then vaporized and cauterized. The ureteroscopy was examined every 6 months after operation, and color Doppler ultrasound, computed tomography urography (CTU) or magnetic resonance urography (MRU) were performed at the same time. The urine tumor cells were examined for 3 days before the operation, and the urine tumor markers, such as urinary nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22) were tested. For cases with highisk urothelial carcinoma and normal renal function, and 6 cycles of systemic adjuvant chemotherapy were performed after operation. RESULTS: All of the cases were successfully treated. The data were as follows: the operation time 77.5 min (45-115 min), the blood loss 10 mL (5-20 mL), and hospital stay after surgery 3 days (2-5 days). After 13-34 months' followp, two patients had recurrent tumor recurrence and underwent resection operation. Two patients received systemic adjuvant chemotherapy after operation. Case 5 was histopathologically high grade urothelial carcinoma, and 6 cycles of systemic chemotherapy were given after operation. Local recurrence occurred during chemotherapy, and then endoscopic operation was performed, and no recurrence occurred in the follow-up for 12 months after reoperation. In case 6, the pathology was low grade urothelial carcinoma, but the case was multiple tumors in the right renal calyx and the lower calyx. Then 6 cycles of systemic chemotherapy were given, and no recurrence was found in the followp for 13 months. CONCLUSION Transurethral flexible ureteroscopic holmium laser resection is relatively safe for the treatment of renal pelvic carcinoma. It is suitable for special cases of solitary kidney and renal dysfunction, as well as for patients with low risk urinary tract epithelial tumors, but the recurrence rate is high, and the indications need to be strictly controlled. Patients with high-risk urothelial carcinoma who underwent endoscopic resection are advised to receive systemic adjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) regimen after surgery, in order to increase the overall survival rate. Systemic chemotherapy combined with endoscopic operation may become a new treatment for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).
Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/therapy* ; Kidney Pelvis/pathology* ; Laser Therapy ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Retrospective Studies ; Ureteroscopy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the treatment and prognosis of multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMN) complicated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and to make risk stratification. METHODS: A retrospective study of 27 cases of MPMN with RCC in two centers, including the different tumors of MPMN, specific treatment methods, and the interval between primary cancers. At the same time, the survival conditions, including recurrence, metastasis and survival, were followed up for statistical analysis. The interval between the two kinds of primary cancer within 6 months was simultaneous MPMNs, and more than 6 months was metachronous MPMNs. For simple risk stratification of cases, as long as one of the MPMNs had a stage Ⅲ or higher malignancy, which was defined as high risk. RESULTS: Among the 27 patients, 20 were male and 7 were female, with age at the time of diagnosis was 42-82 years, with an average age of (61.3±11.7) years. The age at the diagnosis of renal cancer was 43-87 years, with an average age of (66.0±11.3) years. There were 21 cases with duplex primary malignant neoplasms, 4 cases with triple primary malignant neoplasms, and 2 cases with quadruple primary malignant neoplasms. The interval between first cancer and second cancer was 0-360 months, with a median of 18 months. There were 17 cases of metachronous multiple primary malignant neoplasms and 10 cases of simultaneous multiple primary malignant neoplasms. The most common system of MPMN with comorbid RCC involved urologic system, digestive system and respiratory system. The most common locations of MPMN with comorbid RCC were bladder cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer. Follow-up time calcu- lated from the last cancer was 2-156 months, with a median of 32 months. And 14 cases survived and 13 cases died, with 11 cases being tumor related. Tumor stage was the risk factor of prognosis. Any kind of tumor stage in stage Ⅲ or above had a relatively poor prognosis. CONCLUSION MPMN complicated with RCC is relatively rare. Standard treatment should be used for each cancer type during the treatment process. The prognosis mainly depends on the highest stage of each tumor. Simple risk stratification shows that the prognosis of the high-risk group is worse. This simple stratification method may be helpful to predict the prognosis.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/therapy* ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/therapy* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/therapy* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Renal cell carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors of urinary system. The annual incidence rate is approximately 17.9/100 000 populations, and there is a continually rising trend in number of new diagnosis. Metastatic and high-risk renal cell cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and is resistant to traditional chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Although cytokine-based therapies (interferon and interleukin-2) have been widely used, their effectiveness remained unsatisfactory due to their low response rates and short survival. Drugs targeting anti-angiogenesis pathways have shown benefits in relapse-free survival. In this review, we introduce the recent advances in the treatment of renal cancer, especially the application of vasculogenic mimicry and mosaic vessels. Although targeted therapies with anti-angiogenic properties have proposed new treatment criteria for advanced renal cell carcinoma, new drugs or new combinations are needed to improve the clinical efficacy and minimize adverse effects.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; blood supply ; therapy ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; blood supply ; therapy

Since 2006, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and anti-angiogenic drugs have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma by improving progression-free survival and overall survival. The prognostic factors in metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated by targeted therapy include anatomical, histological, clinical, biological, and molecular parameters. The accuracy of these prognostic factors are not high when applied alone. A renal cancer prognostic system that combines all these prognostic factors can improve the risk assessment of renal cancer and prognosis prediction, and thus guide clinical decision-making.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Models, Theoretical ; Prognosis

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common lethal urological cancer,the distant metastasis of which is the leading cause of death.Although targeted agents have remarkably improved the overall prognosis of RCC patients,nearly all the patients eventually acquire therapeutic resistance.With the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors,immunotherapy based on tumor microenvironment (TME) has shown a broad scope in clinical application.The deepening understanding of TME leads to the changes of therapeutic strategies for advanced RCC,and the combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy is exhibiting a promising prospect.Herein,we reviewed the TME characteristics,candidate predictive biomarkers,and possible targets for future development of drugs against RCC.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell/therapy* ; Female ; Humans ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ; Immunotherapy ; Kidney Neoplasms/therapy* ; Male ; Tumor Microenvironment

Fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma (FH-RCC) is an independent pathological subtype of renal cell carcinoma with a clear driver gene and a high degree of malignancy. Recent studies have found that patients with somatic FH mutations have similar clinico-biological behavior and poor prognosis to patients with germline FH mutations. FH-RCC has the characteristics of early age of onset, atypical imaging manifestations, variable pathological patterns, difficult clinical diagnosis and poor effect on traditional drug treatment, thus greatly endangering the life and health of patients. Under the organization of the Rare Kidney Cancer Collaborative Group, Genitourinary Cancer Committee, China Anti-Cancer Association, this guideline was developed based on basic research, clinical cohort and evidence-based medicine evidence, including imaging manifestations, pathological diagnosis, genetic testing, surgical and systemic treatment options, and provided recommendations and references for the diagnosis and treatment norms.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/therapy* ; Fumarate Hydratase/genetics* ; Consensus ; Kidney Neoplasms/therapy* ; Immunohistochemistry

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor combined tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy versus TKI monotherapy as the second-line regimen for patients with metastatic non-clear cell renal carcinoma (nccRCC) who failed first-line TKI therapy. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 67 patients with metastatic nccRCC who failed first-line TKI therapy between October 2011 and September 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 22 patients who received TKI monotherapy and 45 patients who received TKI plus PD-1 inhibitor as the second-line therapy. The efficacy was assessed according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.0/1.1 (RECIST 1.0/1.1), the Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the survival curves, and the Log rank test was used to analyze the differences in the survival between the two groups. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) after treatment were observed in both groups. Results: The overall objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 37.3% (25/67) and 56.7% (38/67), respectively. The overall second-line progression-free survival (PFS) was 7.7 months and Overall Survival (OS) was 25.2 months. The ORR and DCR of patients in the combination therapy group were 48.9% (22/45) and 71.1% (32/45), respectively, which were significantly improved compared with the TKI monotherapy group [13.6% (3/22) and 27.3% (6/22), respectively] (P=0.007 and P=0.001, respectively). The median PFS of 9.2 months for second-line treatment was longer in patients in the combination therapy group than in the TKI monotherapy group (5.2 months, P=0.001), but the median OS was not statistically different between the two groups (28.2 months vs 20.8 months, P=0.068). Common treatment-related AEs included hypertension, diarrhea, fatigue, stomatitis, hand-foot syndrome, and hypothyroidism. The incidence of hypothyroidism was higher in the combination therapy group [40.0% (18/45)] than in the TKI monotherapy group [22.7% (5/22), P=0.044]; the incidence of other treatment-related AEs between the two groups were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Conclusion: Immune-targeted combination therapy was more effective than TKI monotherapy alone and was well tolerated in the treatment of metastatic nccRCC patients who failed first-line TKIs.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/drug therapy* ; Immunotherapy/adverse effects* ; Kidney Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies